


Guiding Light

by katleev1120



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Background Relationships, Drama, Genderswitching, Implied Relationships, M/M, un-betaed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-04-05 16:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 141,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4187418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katleev1120/pseuds/katleev1120
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kagami Taiga entered into Seirin High, he thought he was going to live a normal Japanese high school student life. What he didn’t expect was that signing up for a non-sense club called “Guild”, would pull him into a world that was like a real life fantasy role playing video game. Nor did he expect that he will become involved with the infamous “Miraculous Generals”, along side with the one claiming to be his Shadow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Star of Hope I

**Author's Note:**

> Another story I really shouldn't have started, but it came to be because of the stupid idea floating in the back of my mind for a long time. Pretty much like all my other stories, it will be fantasy and drama. This time, it's GOM+Kuroko/Kagami. Yeah, Kagami is uke/bottom. But does it really matter, when there will be no sexual content? Hope you enjoy and go easy on me for writing my "first" Kuroko no Basuke fanfic.

 Spring had come to Seirin High School, and a new batch of students came for their first year, in the newly built school. The entrance ceremonies were busy, as many students gathered around, older students recruiting new members for clubs, and new students signing up to join those clubs.

One girl stood at a particular table, and waved at the freshmen that were walking away. She had short cinnamon brown hair, with hair clips holding aside a few of her bangs from her umber brown eyes. Sticking to her blue sweater of her uniform was a tag with her name: Aida Riko. She sighed, and plopped down on to the chair. She rested her cheek against her propped hand, and stared at the short list of names. ' _I only have three names... I bet all the others went to high class schools that are more known than ours... We just barely started after all, just like this school._ '

There was a rough scrape noise of the chair beside her, and a boy plopped down at the seat, in the same manner as Aida. He sighed out loud, resting his chin on his crossed arms over the table. He had spiky dark brown hair, and dark eyes. He had the distinctive feature of a small cat like grin upon his lips. "Finding new members is really tough." The boy complained. "We should have made a sports team instead, like maybe... basketball?"

Aida shook her head. "You know the reason why, Koganei-kun. Not only because our school just started last year, but also because of rumors of what happened last year."

"I know." Koganei sighed again.

"'Those who can read this may join our Clan in the Other World, only if you have not joined one, yet'?" A voice questioned. The boy and girl behind the table both looked up, and became stunned for a moment. They craned their necks to see a very tall red haired teen, who couldn't be only a first year. He had messy dark red haired, with darker shades under. His eyes were a burning crimson color. His height was above six feet. And his expression seemed intimidating, especially with his furrowed strange brows, and deep frown. "What is that, a video game?" He looked down at the two students behind the table. "Is that a popular video game here in Japan, these days?" He asked in a rough deep voice.

Koganei shivered under the intense gaze. Aida stood up from her chair, grinning. "It's not a game. Don't tell me you don't know about the ' _Other World_ '! You proved that you could read this sign. That means you're like us!" She pointed at the poster taped on the table.

The red head scowled, and slightly tilted his head, staring at the poster. "And what is so special about reading this poster? I don't see it." He muttered.

"Hey, you there!" The brunette called out to a pair of students, a girl and a boy. They looked over and blinked, pointing at themselves. Aida smiled, and beckoned them closer. "Can you read what this poster says?" She pointed at it.

The random female student looked confused. "Um... ' _Come see what Guild is about_ '?" She looked at her friend beside her. "Is that a video game that is popular right now?" She questioned. The other boy shrugged.

Aida huffed, and started to wave her hand to make the random pair leave. "Ah, seems like you can't be part of this club. You didn't meet the requirements, sorry." She shooed at them.

Koganei looked up at the red head. "See, only those born with powers from the Other World are able to read this special sign. And you are one of them." He replied.

The brunette grinned widely, with her eyes shining. "And I can see that you have great potential. So come join us! My name is Aida Riko, and this is Koganei Shinji." She pointed to herself and the boy beside her. "We may only be second years, since this school just opened up last year, but our Clan is no pushover. I assure you. Let's get along, ne?"

The red head stepped back. "I really don't get it... and I don't know this 'Other World' game. So... if you... excuse me... please." He walked away quickly, but was not able to disappear in the sea of students. He was quiet tall and noticeable.

"Did we scare him away?" Koganei blinked. He scratched the back of his head. "And he's never heard of the Other World, even though it's very clear he has the power as a Chosen?"

Aida hummed, and crossed her arms, with a hand on her chin, thinking. "That is strange and troubling... Someone in his family definitely must be a Chosen. It is really curious that this boy was not told about it. Every generation of a family has to send that person to the Other World..." Then there was a spark in her eyes.

"Ah... Riko? I know that look, and you're plotting something, aren't you?" Koganei moved back, looking nervous.

A wide smile grew upon the girl's lips. "Koganei-kun, we are going to recruit him. No matter what." Aida slammed her hand down on to the table. "I know for sure that he definitely is not in any clan, and he has to be in ours." She glanced down at the list of names. "Among the three new recruits, this boy has something different about him. I can sense it."

"Riko... it looks like we have four." The boy voiced out.

"What are you saying? We only got three signed forms." Then Aida's words trailed off when her partner showed her the sheet. "Huh? Did I forget about this? When did this get here?" She grabbed it, and looked over it. "Kuroko Tetsuya... first year..." Then her eyes widened. "From Teikou Middle!?"

"Eh!?" Koganei shot out from his chair and looked over the girl's shoulder. " _That_ Teikou Middle? As in the school that housed members from the recently dismantled Kiseki Clan!?" The female brunette stared hard at the application form, and smirked. ' _With a member from former Kiseki Clan, and the possible recruitment from that newbie... I'm sure things will get really interesting._ '

Aida slammed down the form. "Koganei-kun, you're in charge of the table. I'm going to look for that red head." She ran off, ignoring the protests of the boy for her to wait.

 

* * *

 

"You can't hide from me, Kagami Taiga!" A female voice shouted down the halls of the freshman floor of the school.

A tall red head jumped a bit at the shout of his name. He shuddered, and turned the opposite direction of the shout from one Aida Riko. ' _How annoying. That female sempai keeps following me, because of that Guild Club, or what ever it is called._ ' He sighed out loud, making a few students close by flinch. Kagami looked at them, and then turned his head away, walking quickly down the hall. ' _What the hell is this Other World, anyways?_ '

"Excuse me."

The small voice caused the red head to jump. "What the-!?" He looked back and jumped in surprise again. "Where did you come from!?" He nearly screeched.

The boy was shorter than himself, just barely passed his shoulders. He had messy light blue hair, and blank light blue eyes. The expressionless face threw the taller boy a bit off. "I have been calling for you for a while now, and followed you out here." The boy replied in a monotonous voice.

Red eyes narrowed. "And what is it you want?" Kagami frowned.

"You are a Chosen of the Other World." The boy stated.

Kagami blinked. "Hah? This again?" He scoffed, becoming irritated. "Listen here. I don't care about your video game, nor do I know about it and this stupid club. So could you leave me alone, and also possibly tell that crazy lady to stop bothering me about it?" He turned around to walk away, but the sleeve of his jacket was tugged, stopping him. The red head turned around, and glared at the blue haired boy, pulling on his sleeve.

"It seems you do not understand the dire circumstances of it all." The boy replied. "This is not a video game, and I can see from your expression that you truly do not understand or know about the Other World."

Kagami growled in annoyance, and roughly grabbed the boy's hand, pulling it from its hold on his sleeve. "That is what I have been saying." He gritted his teeth, his patience wearing thin.

Then the other hand took his wrist, and wide and dull light blue eyes bore deeply into Kagami's eyes. "A warning, then, that you being a Chosen, and not knowing about it, is dangerous, especially if you do not enter the Other World any time soon."

Kagami roughly pulled his wrist away from the hold of the other boy. He frowned, watching the blue haired boy, the words ringing in his head. "What's that supposed to mean?" He growled.

The boy fixed his uniform jacket, and looked up at the taller boy. "My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, and you intrigue me, Kagami Taiga."

Kagami stepped back, a bit startled. ' _He knows my name?_ '

"We are both from the same class, Kagami-kun, 1-B." Kuroko responded, as if reading the taller boy's mind. The red head flinched, a bit stunned.

"So what's so dangerous about a game?" Kagami questioned.

Kuroko shook his head. "It's not a game, Kagami-kun." He looked up, deeply into those red eyes. "It is very much very real, I can assure you." He replied. "If you want to know more, I will accompany you to the 'Guild Club', so that you will learn about the Other World." The red head narrowed his eyes. "You will need to understand, Kagami-kun, that there are risks and consequences for you with special power from the Other World, if you are not able to go to the Other World any time soon."

Kagami felt his heart race upon those words. ' _He... he's got to be joking, right?_ '

"So, I advise you to please come to the 'Guild Club', Kagami-kun. If the first day is not satisfactory, then I pray that everything will go well for you in the future, especially when you have those powers." Kagami shuddered when those blank eyes bore right into him, along with those hauntingly dark words. "As I said, you interest me, Kagami-kun, so I am willing to help you out, but only for the short about of time until you realize the dangers." Kuroko told, closely watching to taller boy.

Kagami turned his head away, frowning. " _People here are nuts._ " He muttered to himself out loud, in a different language. " _I might as well check it out then._ "

"I'm sorry, but I don't really understand English well." Kuroko spoke up. The red head flinched a bit, nearly forgetting that the other was there in front of him. ' _He has a really low presence..._ '

The red head sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Fine, I'll go and check it out, since you and that sempai are so persistent about it." He relented, frowning with slight irritation. The bell rang, and the students in the hall started to walk towards their class room. Kagami silently nodded towards the boy, and headed to their classroom, without another word. Kuroko watched the boy closely.

 

* * *

 

The 'Guild Club' as it was called, found a place in a small, unused classroom, on the third floor in the second building. It was at the end of the hall, and almost hiding in the dark corner. On the door was a hanging placard with the club's name.

There was barely any furniture in the room, with only two bookshelves, with a few random and unrelated books, one lone student desk under the window, and four chairs backed against the walls. The second year female, that was at the opening ceremonies recruiting members, Aida Riko, was there, along with the other second year male, Koganei Shinji. Then there were four more male students, and they were quiet tall for average male teens. Across from them were three other male students, looking a bit out of place.

"Hey, don't be so nervous." The girl smiled. She looked at her clipboard with the three names of the new recruits on it. "Let's see, you're Furihata Kouki, Kawahara Kouichi, and Fukuda Hiroshi, correct?" The three freshmen nodded.

When a certain tall red head entered into the room, Aida was smiling widely with a spark in her eye. "So you finally came, Kagami Taiga!" She called out.

The red head froze in place, and then scowled. "Yeah, well, Kuroko told me to after threatening me about these consequences." He scrunched his nose.

"Kuroko?" Aida questioned, and looked around. "Huh, he signed up, but he hasn't showed up yet."

"Actually," a voice spoke up. "I've been here for a while now." Everyone turned their head and spotted the light blue haired boy, standing close to Furihata.

After a short pause of silence, everyone freaked out and loudly voiced their surprise. "EH!?"

Aida came up to the boy, face inches away from the first year. Kuroko backed up a bit, blinking his eyes. "Kuroko Tetsuya? From Teikou Middle School, was it?" She carefully questioned. ' _I didn't sense him at all. His presence is really low... I wonder what Class is he?_ '

The room erupted with more surprised shouts. Then the short blue haired boy became surrounded by most of the members in the room. Questions were fired over one another. Aida got mad, and pushed everyone away. "Hold on! Stop crowding the boy. We still haven't introduced ourselves to our new recruits!"

"I'm Hyuuga Junpei, second in command." A raven haired male, with glasses, greeted. He had a very intimidating aura around him, staring hard at the four freshmen. Then he pointed to the others. "That's Izuki Shun." It was a male that was shorter than Hyuuga, with raven hair and a handsome face. "Mitobe Rinnosuke." The male was nearly as tall as Kagami. He bowed silently. "Beside him is Koganei Shinji." The shorter male, with a cat like grin waved happily to them. "And right over there is Tsuchida Satoshi." His eyes were closed, smiling at the new comers.

"And as you know, I'm Aida Riko, the Clan Leader." The lone female proudly claimed with a big smile. The three younger males widened their eyes in surprise. The girl pouted, and crossed her arms. "What, you think a girl can't handle being the leader of these group of boys?" The second years all rolled their eyes. The three freshmen all shook their heads vigorously.

"Anyways..." The glasses wearing teen, titled as the second in command, turned to the shortest male in the room. "You came from Teikou Middle, right?" He questioned for reassurance.

Kuroko nodded. Koganei leaned forward. "Then, you must have known the Miraculous Generals, the most powerful fighters of our generation in the Other World!" Kagami furrowed his brows, not clearly knowing about these 'Miraculous Generals'.

"I was part of their Squad in the Kiseki Clan." The people all reacted with shock, save for one tall red head, still confused. Kuroko looked up at the older teens. "But, I left the Clan before it got forcefully disbanded."

"So the rumors were true, the Kiseki Clan was disbanded." Muttered Aida.

"Then, you don't know the reason it had to be disbanded, and from a long running and very popular Clan?" Tsuchida carefully asked. Kuroko shook his head.

"Oh! And how about the rumors of that Phantom Sixth General?" One of the freshmen questioned, Fukuda.

"Hey!" All attention turned to the tall red head. Kagami was frowning with irritation, his arms crossed, as if impatient. "I don't know what the hell you are all talking about, and I really need you all to explain it clearly to me, about this Other World." It became silent, and everyone just stared at the red head. Kagami became a bit uncomfortable. "Please..."

"You don't know about the Other World!?" The others erupted with shock. "And you came to join our Clan!?"

"I came because I was threatened! And I've said it a million times, I don't know!" The red head nearly roared with rage. The others took a step back, and Kagami shut his mouth, taking a step back as well, looking a bit apologetic for his outburst.

Aida stepped up between the red head and the others. "Listen, I understand, and I can truly see that you're not lying, Kagami-kun. And you were going to get an explanation later."

"That is strange. Usually the knowledge of the Other World is passed down through generations of the family." Izuki glanced up at the red head. "Unless his family is hiding it from him."

"But why would they hide it, when there are great consequences for Chosen of the Other World who do not accept their powers by a certain age." Koganei pointed out.

Kagami looked down at the short older teen, eyes narrowed. "Consequences? Like what exactly?"

"I've heard you can lose you mind." Tsuchida brought up.

"I also heard that you can end up terminally ill." Kawahara, another of the freshmen trio, added.

"The worst one I heard was that you could die before you turn 18." Hyuuga grimly replied. Everyone reacted the same, with a shudder and a gulp down their throat.

"I've witnessed two people deny the existence of the Other World, and the next day after their 16th birthday, they disappeared completely from the world." Kuroko spoke up. "No one remembered them, not even their parents, except those currently chosen from the Other World." He glanced over at the red head. Everyone shivered in response.

Kagami felt his heart drop. Then he got frustrated. "Yeah well, the situation with my family is complicated." He frowned, his eyes avoiding at looking at the others in the room.

The lone female of the group smiled, and slapped her hand on his upper arm. "Then, it would be better if we show you the Other World, so that you can truly believe in it." Aida looked up at the clock on the wall. "It's nearly time. The gates open at 4:00, 9:00, and 1:00 in the morning, the next day." She turned to the second year students. "We have about thirty minutes until we leave." She pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here are some things we'll be needing for when we go to the Other World. You got until ten minutes before 4."

Hyuuga took the paper, and unfolded it. "Got it." He turned to the others. "We'll have to split up." Then the group of second year students all left their club room.

Aida then turned to the four freshmen standing close to one another. "Now, I need some information from you all. I need it all entered in to our informational bank." She then turned to the blue haired boy. "For the mean time, when I interview Furihata-kun, Kawahara-kun, and Fukuda-kun, you, Kuroko-kun, will have the job of explaining about the Other World to Kagami-kun. Just general information is fine. I'll fill in anything you left out later, and answer his questions, after we get into the Other World."

While Aida pulled aside the three new recruits, Kuroko turned to Kagami. Light blue eyes bore into a pair of crimson eyes. "The Other World is another world from ours, with unknown information of its origin. It almost mirrors our own Earth, except it is a world that is only thought of in fantasy and science fiction stories."

Kagami snorted. "Science fiction world, huh?" He still couldn't believe it, even hearing it from all the other people in the club room.

Kuroko nodded, pressing on. "Only those chosen by the Other World may enter into it, giving us powers beyond imagination." The red head raised a brow. "With those powers, we, as Chosens, fight to protect the settlements in that world from the monsters. But then, with there being so many Clans, they compete against one another."

He gestured to the people in the room. A few of the second year students returned from their errand, talking to one another. Aida was still questioning the other three Freshmen. "Joining a Clan is an advantage when in the Other World, especially when trying to fight monsters or conquer dangerous Dungeons." Kagami furrowed his brows. "Don't worry, you'll see a Dungeon when we get to the other side."

Aida approached the two, with a tablet in hand. The three freshmen joined the group of second years. She looked up at the red head. "For now, all you need to know is that Clans leave a mark on settlements in the Other World. We are contracted to them, under their Gods, so we have the goal to protect the settlement, and help it grow and flourish in the Other World." She glanced down at her tablet, and started to trace her finger on the screen. "What we as Clans do to help those settlements is collect special Artifacts, left inside a Dungeon, to be able to receive the blessings of those Gods."

The older female student looked back up, straight into Kagami's red eyes. "And a single person alone cannot possibly do it by themselves, especially when there is a great number of Clans with a vast amount of members. You'll be easily crushed."

Kuroko bowed his head. "It's a belief among the Clans that the Gods mostly look upon the Clans, than with someone by themselves in the Other World." He added.

"Our Clan, Étoile, was just created last year, when this school just opened." Aida spoke up. "We took base at a nice little town called Espoir, and we've been watching it grow from a small village. You'll see how we worked hard in succeeding in our missions to make Espoir prosper in the Other World." She smiled widely with pride. Then the last of the members finally returned into the room.

Tucking her tablet under her arm, Aida turned around and clapped her hands. "All right, it's time to go!" Most of the males grew excited. Kagami fidgeted anxiously, still taking in all that he was told about this strange unknown he was barely introduced to.

The lone female had in her hand a piece of chalk. She walked up to an empty part of the wall in the room. Then she started to draw a strange symbol on the wall, with a circle around it. Then Mitobe came up, and started to draw around the symbol, from the floor, to as high as he could reach, with an arch, and then back down to the floor.

"That's how you create gates between our world and the Other World." Kuroko murmured to the red head.

Kagami jumped a little, from the sudden appearance of the boy close to him. ' _He really has a low presence... and he needs to stop trying to give me heart attacks! He's trying to pick a fight with me, isn't he?_ ' The red head started planning of a way to get back at the short blue haired boy.

"Gates are open in certain times, and it can only be open with that symbol that Aida-sempai just drew." The blue haired boy continued.

The girl approached the drawing, and placed her hand upon the circle. She closed her eyes. " _Aperi_." She murmured. The lights in the room flickered off. Then the wall in the drawing that Mitobe made, became a sheen of light. Kagami jumped back in surprise, overwhelmed and amazed at what he just witnessed.

Hyuuga turned to the other. "Hurry in, the gates stay open for only a minute." Then one by one, the boys ran in through the light portal. Kagami stayed rooted on his spot, stunned. The only female smiled at the red head, then went in. After Aida, Hyuuga followed, giving one last look at the tall boy.

With one step through the portal, Kuroko looked back at the tall red head. "Let's go, Kagami-kun?" He offered out his hand towards the red head. Kagami blinked, and gulped nervously. Then with confidence and determination, he grabbed hold on to the smaller boy's hand, and was pulled in through. A bright surge of light blinded his vision, all sound became muted, and all he felt was a comforting warmth, especially coming from the squeeze of his right hand.

Senses slowly returned to him. The blinding light receded, and his ears could pick up sound again. There was a gentle breeze that pushed against him, ruffling some of his bangs into his face. There was a salty taste in the fresh air, followed by the distant sound of a sea bird flying by. Red eyes fluttered open, and all he could see was the vast blue sky, with a big body of water at the horizon, over the dark tiled rooftops.

' _This... is the Other World?_ ' Kagami noticed he was no longer standing in the small nearly empty room in his school, with the afternoon sky outside the windows. All around was apparently morning, and it looked like they were at a place near the sea. ' _This is... Espoir?_ '

There was a choked sound behind him, and he looked over. Everyone was no longer in their Seirin issued uniforms. Everyone was dressed differently, and there was a few small changes in their own appearances as well. But Kagami was able to recognize each of them, though he wasn't really good with the names yet. Their style of attire was reminiscent to this one fantasy role playing action video game he has seen in the past. It was a mix between steam-punk, Renaissance, and hints of futuristic. ' _I was right, it's like a video game... but real?_ '

Then Kagami noticed the expressions of each of the members. Their eyes were wide, and some had their mouths gaping with shock. He blinked, starting to shift in place, feeling awkward being stared at. "What are you looking at?" His heart plummeted at the different sound coming out from his mouth. ' _W-what...?_ '

Hyuuga slowly raised his hand, pointing at the red head in front of him. "K-Kagami...?" He questioned, unsure.

Clearing his throat more, Kagami replied, shakily. "Y-yes?" The voice was still different from his normal one. He placed a hand over his throat, more slender and smooth than what he was used to.

"NO WAY!" Almost everyone shouted with disbelief.

Standing before the members of the 'Guild Club', was no longer the very tall red head male they all remembered seeing before they passed through the gate to the Other World. In front of them was a tall, beautiful female, standing in place of the one claiming to be Kagami. She had long, fiery red haired, the same two shades as the male Kagami. Her bangs were swaying with the small breeze, over her rounder and bigger, but still angled crimson eyes, now with long and thick dark lashes. Her face wasn't angled, but more softer, with full and soft looking lips. The clothes that the Other World gave her were tightly hugging around her not so subtle womanly curves. She may have shrank a few centimeters, compared to the male Kagami they were used to, but she was still taller than a few of the males around her.

Kagami looked down, and started to hyperventilate, seeing that his body had greatly changed, from a male to a very apparent female. "WHAT THE-!?" His hands grabbed the two lumps on his chest. Such action caused a few males to react in a not so decent way. "I'M A... A..." Then red eyes rolled back, and the tall red haired female passed out.

A few of them cried out in surprised, and Mitobe was quick enough to catch the tall girl. Aida, shaking her head back to reality, smacked the back of the heads of most of the boys. "Come on, let's all head to HQ. We have a lot to discuss." She ordered sternly, while glaring especially hard at the boys that acted a bit like perverts, in her eyes.

' _This is going to be a very long day..._ ' The brunette leader thought, watching as Mitobe picked up the nearly six feet tall female. The other second years were guiding their new recruits to where their base of operations was located, while pointing out some specific spots in the town of Espoir. Aida then pouted, crossing her arms of her chest. ' _Kagami isn't even a girl, and he gets bigger cup size than me._ ' She grumbled miserably in her mind, following behind the group of boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Yeah, that happened. First few chapters will be introductory to understand the world and story this will run on. I'll update this one based on the number of hits and Kudos. Comments for encouragement is welcome.))
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
> 1. **Other World** (OW for short)  
>  An almost mirroring world to the Earth, with scattered lands floating over an unknown abyss of black. It is crawling with strange monsters, more aggressive and more intelligent than the animals on Earth. This world allows for powers unimaginable, only thought up in fantasy and science fiction stories. However, the residents in the settlements do not have these powers, so they are in need of protectors from the vicious monsters.
> 
> 2\. **Chosen** (protectors and fighters born from Earth)  
>  Because the Gods of the OW answered the prayers of the people born from OW, people with powers chosen from Earth, travel through the barriers to fight and protect the people born in OW (as so written in uncovered history texts of OW records). Chosen each have special powers, categorized into several Classes, and grouping into Clans. (Specified Classes distinguished in later files.)
> 
> 3. **Clans**  
>  Chosen grouped together, to work with each other, in order to survive in the OW. Clans choose a location as their base, starting out in small villages. Their success in missions, or conquering of Dungeons, draw in attention from the OW Gods to allow the settlement that the Clan established base to grow prosperously. The larger the number of members, the larger the number of achievements. The bigger the number of achievement, the more attention the Gods will have upon the Clan. Then more blessings upon the settlement accomplishes a flourishing colony.  
> Because of the number of Clans created in OW, competition for the Gods blessings occurs. The largest Clan to ever expand and thrive was the Kiseki Clan, that had roots down to about eight to ten generations. However, by the end of last year, they were rumored to have been forcefully be disbanded, and the reasons were unknown. Newer Clans started to be built, and older ones restored, coming out from the ashes of the fallen Clan.
> 
> 4. **Étoile** (FRN. Star) **Clan**  
>  Base of operations: Town of Espoir (FRN. Hope)  
> Leader: Aida Riko  
> Number of currently active members: 11  
> Predominant Classes: Mixed (Member profiles in other files)  
> Clan Rank: II


	2. The Star of Hope II

Staring blankly at the wall, Aida Riko's mind was buried with deep thoughts. She sighed out loud, and leaned her head back into the comfort of the tall, cushioned, swerving chair. She closed her dark eyes, rubbing her temple.

"What's got you so occupied in thought?" A familiar male voice spoke.

The female leader sat up straight, her eyes opened, and she spun her chair around, seeing her second in command, leaning against the frame of the door. Aida was found in what was called the command center. It had a big, high tech computer, that surrounded the lone chair in a semi-circle. It had a lot of buttons and knobs, like in a sci-fi control rooms, or highly advance computer rooms. "Just boggling my mind over Kagami-kun." The girl replied, and spun the chair back around, and many computer windows and images appeared on the three glass screens, including the pictures of four new members of their Clan. "I know I've been wishing and hoping for some new female members in our Clan, but I didn't expect for a boy-turned-girl." She sighed.

Hyuuga adjusted his glasses higher, and walked into the room, the metal doors sliding close. He glanced up at the smaller glass screen to the left of Aida, with the pictures and profiles of Kuroko, Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda. At the main big screen was a big map of the floating land mass their town was a part of, with the supposed endless seas, running off to an edge, towards an empty black void. There were little text boxes, and lines pointing to parts of the map. "First, he or rather she now, didn't know about OW, even though it's clear that she is a Chosen. We can all feel it. Then she switches from a guy to a girl when she gets here."

"I wonder if it's a family trait, switching genders... but why would his family not tell him about it?" Aida pressed her finger on the touch pad, making little circles. She bit her lower lip. "I knew that Kagami-kun had potential... just unsure what we'll discover in a rookie. He, er... she will either be a blessing or a curse on this Clan. I'm betting for a blessing."

Then she flicked her finger across the touch pad, and the picture of Kuroko with typed information came to the main screen, enlarged. "And it doesn't help that we don't know much about Kuroko-kun either. His stats are low, and his abilities are all listed as N/A. But I found that he is an Assassin Class. That's all the information I was able to dig up from his past files, and from his word by mouth."

Hyuuga whistled with interest. "Those Classes are hard to come by."

The girl nodded. "I was not able to get a clear scan on either Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun. I made sure my abilities were not broken or anything, but it seems that it's just with those two... They're both a mystery to me, and we'll have to keep close eyes on those two, especially." Aida frowned. "I think I'll need to do some further investigation on Kagami-kun, soon." She crossed her arms, leaning back into her chair.

"A Heart-Dive so soon?" The boy scratched the back of his head, and sighed. "Well, you always said you love challenges. And, even if Kagami is not really a girl, she is still one in our Clan, right?"

"So it would seem. But, I still need some materials and prepare the Heart-Dive, though." Aida shot out from her chair and rolled her shoulders. "I'll go check up on her. I'm sure the others have already been acquainted with Espoir. We'll be assigning them their tasks soon, then we'll go over some training regimen, and a test to see their abilities and where they'll stand. We're going to have to work really hard on Kagami-kun, though." She and Hyuuga both walked out of the command room.

 

* * *

 

Kagami finally regained consciousness, but was still reeling from the fact that he no longer was a male, but now a female in the strange new world. She didn't know why she hasn't gone crazy or started freaking out. She was more worried that she was calm over the fact that she was in another world, and that she was adjusting in a new female body. Her mind just wasn't processing the reason she even changed genders. Kagami rubbed her temple. She was found reclined on the comforting bed, with the head part raised up, in the healing ward of the HQ of the Clan. Sitting on a stool beside her was the small blue haired boy, a book lying on his lap. He was talking to the red haired boy-turned-girl.

"As Chosen, our powers and abilities are categorized into different Classes." Kuroko spoke in his usual deadpan tone. "There are about a total of 13 known Class types. For example, I'm classified as an Assassin Class."

The red head looked at the boy, seeing the dark attire he wore, with his hood down. "And, I'm guessing that everyone else is a different Class too." She mostly said to herself. Kagami was getting used to the fact that her voice changed too. It was feminine, but deeper and a bit sultry, unlike their Leader's higher pitched and soft one. Kagami rubbed her throat, clearing it.

Kuroko nodded. "I'm sure you'll learn all about them, and eventually find out what Class you are suited for and born with. Usually our Class and abilities get passed down through our family." The boy slightly tilted his head, lowering his gaze. "I was told that in our family we are all mostly Sorcerers and Hunters."

"You must be special then." Kagami's voice trailed off, as if her gaze was staring distantly. "Say, Kuroko, what is really the purpose of us fighting and competing? Why are we even here on this strange new world?" She questioned lightly. Kuroko stared at the red head.

"There are a lot of theories out there as to why people from Earth were given powers, and brought into this Other World." A female voice replied. The pair turned their heads and found Aida and Hyuuga come in. "I would love to go over them, but we have a lot of stuff to do, and it will take weeks for us to discuss." the brunette smiled.

"Just know, that Étoile Clan has the purpose of making Espoir flourish in this big Other World." Hyuuga spoke. "We will protect it, and we will fight for it. All under our own ideal that we all stand as one, and together, anything is possible, if you work hard, and have faith in yourself and in your comrades."

Aida smiled widely, her hands on her hips. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Then she came up to the other side of the red haired girl. "Listen, Kagami-kun." She looked intently into the red head's eyes. "Figuring out why you changed genders will take a lot of time and research. However, I believe that it's more important and beneficial that you get assimilated into our clan and this world. Since you're a rookie, we're going to have to work really hard to get you in par with everyone here in this Clan, so that you can soon join them in missions and battles." Kagami slowly nodded.

"I promise you that I'll help you in figuring out about your sudden gender change." The brunette patted the younger girl's shoulder. "However, it can't be possible right now, unless you ask your family that has the trait of being a past Chosen." The red head nodded again. Aida smiled widely. "Great!"

Hyuuga turned to the blue haired freshmen. "You and the other new recruits won't be able to join in any Dungeon excursions, for the time being." He told. Kuroko nodded in understanding. "We're surveying you all for the time being. It's so that Riko can acquire all the information she needs of each one of you, before forming compatible teams."

"It's a week long observation." Aida continued. "You and the other freshmen will be assigned a senior partner. You will all be given assignments in the town."

"It will be more of doing some errands and boarder security checks. But, I'm sure you know the drill." The eldest male said. Kuroko nodded again. Hyuuga shifted his weight to one foot, and then crossed his arms. "We've been all wondering, Kuroko." All attention turned to the bespectacled male. He looked at the boy-turned-girl, sitting on the bed. "As you know, everyone of us have been part of Clans, after discovering our powers as Chosen. It was about around the time I entered Middle School that mine awakened, and so with a majority of the others."

"Yes, it seems that the average age is around 13 years." Kuroko responded, glancing over at Kagami, also for her own benefit. The red head blinked.

Hyuuga sat at the edge of the neighboring bed in the healing ward, his arms still crossed over, and a serious expression upon his face. "As it was said, there were many Clans here in OW. However... three years ago rose a very powerful Clan."

"Kiseki, right?" The red haired female responded. She mentally patted herself on the back for remembering.

The eldest male nodded, and then glanced up at Kuroko. "Those numbers diminished, the more Kiseki grew, either dismantling Clans, destroying them, or over taking them into theirs, under the name of Kiseki. Even a few of the old Clans with a long line of generations disappeared." The blue haired boy bowed his head. Hyuuga turned to the red head. "It literally became an empire, dominating nearly all the land."

"It's because of those... what were they called? Miraculous Generals?" Kagami carefully asked.

"Yes, however, their three year powerful reign ended abruptly, forcefully being disbanded." Aida replied, then turned to the blue haired boy. "And we were wondering why, after all they have accomplished."

Three pairs of eyes looked at the silent blue haired boy. "As I said earlier, I left that Clan before it was forcefully dismantled." Kuroko answered.

"And, you said you were part of the same squad as the Miraculous Generals. Then that means you have known them." Hyuuga pressed.

The blue haired boy nodded. "We were friends... but we all had some conflicting views, and I honestly have not really spoken to them since graduating from Teikou." Then silence heavily grew in the room.

There was a knock, and all attention turned to the boy, leaning on the door frame. Izuki raked his fingers through his bangs. "Everyone is gathered at the meeting room." He announced. He pushed himself off the door frame, and adjusted his tunic, watching the group in the healing ward.

Aida stretched her back, then stood up straight. "Alright, let's all get down to business, shall we?" She looked at the two freshmen. "And, there is no problem with you, Kagami-kun. You just passed out, most likely from shock."

"Yeah." The red head pushed off the blanket over her legs, and swung her legs to the edge of the bed. "I guess... I just have to deal with this new... body..."

"It could be temporary." Aida reasoned. "When we all cross boarders to here in the Other World, there are only a few small changes with our appearances, other than our whole wardrobe change. You probably have all the luck to change your gender, not that it will be a problem when you become a fighter." The three elder teens lead the two freshmen towards the meeting room.

"Kagami, you'll be focusing more on training, and then discovering your Class." Hyuuga told. "I'm sure that Kuroko explained some of that to you already." He glanced over the short blue haired boy. The red head nodded.

"Sempai." Kuroko called out. The three older students looked over to the younger boy. "I've overheard that Étoile Clan was able to make it to the final leagues in the Open Summer Tournaments."

The three second year students lightly blushed, feeling a bit bashful. "That's true, however, because we're small and new, there were better Clans that defeated us." Izuki replied.

"But that won't stop us in signing up again and fighting to become number one!" Hyuuga grinned widely.

Kagami tilted her head slightly, blinking with confusing. "Tournament?"

Aida nodded. "There are many tournaments here in OW." She replied. "That's short for Other World, by the way." She added. "Based on your Clan Ranks, you can enter in certain tournaments. Winning them will earn the whole Clan some special rewards, like money, rare and useful Artifacts, new armor and weapons, etc. But most of all, it will earn us some recognition towards other Clans, and especially to the Gods. We also get to advance in Ranks."

Izuki smiled. "Since last year's Summer Tournament, Étoile Clan was able to rise into Rank II."

"That's really impressive, especially when this Clan just started last year." Kuroko replied. The three elder students smiled, becoming modest and bashful. Kagami slowly nodded, still processing all the information of the strange world. ' _Battles and tournaments, huh? Somehow... I'm getting excited..._ ' She thought.

 

* * *

 

It was explained to the five new members of the Clan that they were in what was called an 'Observational Period'. They were paired up with an older member of the Clan, where they will be observed and help them adjust into their Clan and environment. They were told that they will mostly be doing some boarder checks, which consisted of fighting off stray monsters that dared to enter the lands that Espoir claimed. They would also run some easy errands for the residents of Espoir. Then the later half of the day, they were going to be introduced to the Aida Riko patented 'Training of Hell'.

After the meeting, Kagami and Kuroko were shown around the quaint sea town of Espoir. With them was Koganei and Mitobe. The three males had to smile at the awe that the red head female had, when looking all around. Her expression was very open and refreshing, unlike the usual intimidating scowl that Kagami usually has, both as male and female.

"It's like walking in a little old European town." Kagami murmured. She spotted a small fish market, next to a produce stall. She closed her eyes and smelled the sea air. It was much more crisp and clean than in other beach areas she has been to in the past. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the big blue sea in front of her.

"Well, the city and Clan name is French, you know." Kuroko replied. The red head clicked her tongue, with a small pout on her lips.

Koganei pointed to a direction. "You won't be lost around here. All the food markets are here near the docks, while the clothing and other necessities are in the southern section." The two freshmen looked over to the direction. "Then to the north, you have the residential area for the citizens, along with a small school and small clinic. Behind the market place, more inland, you won't miss our base, and the Goddess Temple. Our base is situated in front of the gates, because we're the protection of this small town."

"Very organized here." Kuroko commented.

Koganei beamed, and had his hand on his hips. "Well, it's all the hard work we put into helping this town grow." He said proudly. Mitobe nodded, with a smile.

"UWAH!" The three males all turned to the red head girl. She pointed out at the shadowy figures, that had no distinct features, except for the clothing they were wearing. Kagami ran behind Kuroko. "W-what are those!?" She clutched tightly to Kuroko's shoulders, slightly ducking behind him.

Koganei laughed. "No need to be scared!" He came over and was slapping the girl's back. "They are the true residents of OW." He replied. Crimson eyes widened in disbelief.

Kuroko patted the girl's hand on one of his shoulders. "Think of it like us Humans from Earth. They are called Phasma."

"B-but... they're not ghosts!?" Kagami questioned, incredulously.

Kuroko watched one silent Phasma giving money to another Phasma that placed fruits in a basket. "We can't really explain what they really are, but they are the people living here in OW. They are vulnerable and defenseless from the monsters. So the Gods called to us from Earth, to help fight and protect them, so that this world could continue to live." He glanced up to the red head. "At least that is what is written in OW history, and passed down through generations of Chosen."

"They hire us to protect them, and we help this town grow successfully." Koganei said. "We believe that Étoile Clan will become stronger and bigger, and that one day Espoir will become a popular city, full of hope and happiness!" Mitobe nodded, smiling widely. "Plus, the Phasma are all very helpful. They're the ones that produce and make everything here, like our weapons, the food, and even build and upgrade our base." Then he leaned in close to the Freshmen. "And right now, there is a population of 78 Phasma in this town. We might expect some upgrades in this nice little town."

Kagami watched a few small Phasma, which she was assuming were like children, running past them. She was still weary of the shadowy figures. There was a poke to her side, and she looked down at the blue haired boy. "Don't tell me... you're afraid of ghosts, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said.

The red head slightly pushed the boy away from her, scowling, with a blush. "I'm not!" She protested.

Kuroko bowed his head, hiding his small smile. "Well, compared to the real ghost monsters in dungeons, these Phasma, as we've said, are very harmless, and quiet friendly." Kagami gulped at the thought of encountering real horrible ghosts.

"Alright, let's go see the Temple. Later on, after lunch, we'll show you the route you'll take for boarder patrols." Koganei beckoned to them, walking down a dirt street. Mitobe was close to the shorter boy.

The freshmen pair hurried to catch up to their older clansmen. "Kagami-kun is allowed to join in fights, even though she has no experience in battles and is a rookie? It is not even known what Class she is, either." Kuroko carefully asked. He glanced over to the red head, who was blinking her eyes, also in wonder.

Koganei smiled, and looked over his shoulder. "That is why Riko proposed that you be partners with Kagami, since you're more experienced, and you came from the famous Kiseki Clan. Everyone is pretty sure that you can help Kagami. And also think of it as part of your 'Observation Period'. Riko has high hopes for the both of you."

Kuroko bowed his head, and glanced over at the red head, who was still in awe of the small town. They found themselves in an open courtyard, with a small fountain at the center, and aesthetically placed patches of grass, lined by dirt walk ways. Directly in front of them was the temple of the town, and close behind it was the HQ of the Clan. It was a one floor beautiful and white marbled structured temple, a place for the residents of OW to pray to their many Gods.

"I'll accept, but I will need help in preparing her more." The blue haired boy replied.

Koganei beamed. "Riko knew you would agree!" He checked something on the high-tech wristwatch he had, pressing some buttons. Then he turned ahead and pointed out. "To the base!"

 

* * *

 

The inside of the base of Étoile Clan was very different than from the town it protects. It was like walking in a futuristic science fiction movie scene, where there were metal walls, holographic screens, lots of glass, a silver-blue glow of lights, and advanced computers. It really amazed the red head whenever she steps in and out of the base or the city. The base wasn't very big, only big enough to house the small number of members of their Clan. Kagami has heard that later, with more successful missions through Dungeons and winning tournaments, they can upgrade their base.

Kagami was led into a small room, where there was a big wall of glass in front of her. To the side was some computers that she dared not try to understand. Beyond the glass wall was an almost empty space, with only a reclined chair. The red head felt a bit nervous staring at it. She was more confused as to why she was in the room.

"A Heart-Dive." Aida spoke, as she walked up to the computers, and placed a strange head set around her head. It was glowing around her head. She started to put on some gloves, that were connected to some glowing wires. "In order to discover what your Class is, I need to look in you and get that piece of information." She looked up at the younger girl. "I promise you, it won't hurt a thing. Think of it as me going into a filing cabinet in your head, and pulling out the file. Maybe I can find out also who in your family was a Chosen that passed down the power to you." Kagami slowly nodded.

There was a comforting pat on the red head's shoulder, and she looked over to see Tsuchida, giving a reassuring smile. "Come on, you'll need to be lying comfortably." He lead the girl through an opening on the glass wall, to the other side of the room. Kagami bit her lower lip, staring at the chair. It almost looked like one of those chairs from a dentist, without those attachments. "Don't worry, it will not take long, Kagami."

The girl sat down, and she watched as Tsuchida placed a sticky round pad on top of her right hand, where there was a tube or wire connected to it. Then three more were placed on each side of her temple, and one behind her neck. Aida then walked into the room, holding a strange device, with a wire connected to it. "Someone like myself, a Guide Class, is only able to do something like this. This machine here helps me in doing a Heart-Dive to a person, without hurting anyone. If I did it without one, we'll probably both be unconscious for about a month at least, and I could end up messing up both our minds. I assure you this is the safest, okay? You trust me?" She pat the girl's hand in reassurance.

Kagami leaned her head back, and closed her eyes, slowly releasing a deep breath. "Let's get over it. I'm just as eager to find out what Class I am, and whatever else you can tell me, so that I can fit in more in this Other World."

Aida smiled widely. "That's the spirit!" She then gently placed the device she was holding, at the area over Kagami's heart, or at the center of her chest. Aida then pulled up a stool right next to Kagami, and sat down. She glanced over her shoulder, at the other side of the glass, and nodded. Kagami glanced over and saw that not only Tsuchida was there, but also Izuki, in front of the computers.

"Okay, close your eyes, and take three deep breaths, Kagami-kun." The brunette spoke softly, as she placed her hand over the device on the red head's chest. " _Demersi_." She murmured.

It was like her whole body was being sucked into a hole. When Aida opened her eyes, she found herself in a black void. She felt as if her whole body was submerged in water, and her ears were being muffled from sound. She frowned, looking around in a very slow manner. ' _Well... this is very different..._ ' She thought, and then stopped when she saw something at a distance.

In front of her was this very bright ball of white light. Circling around it, like moons to a planet, were six different colored lights (almost like a rainbow), going around in different speeds and courses. Aida struggled to get closer, reaching out to touch it. ' _What-_ '

" _ **Don't touch it!**_ " A voice shouted angrily, and the light blared out blindingly.

Aida shot her eyes wide, and fell back from her stool. Tsuchida and Izuki ran into the room, and up to their leader. "Riko!" They both cried in surprise.

The brunette was panting, and she pulled off the device around her head. "I'm okay." She panted. She felt some perspiration sticking to her. ' _What the hell was that?_ ' She looked up, and saw Kagami throwing her legs over the chair, looking down with worry at her. Aida was helped up by Izuki, while Tsuchida was taking off the sticky pads from the red head.

"What happened?" Izuki carefully asked. "And... we were not able to record anything from that Heart-Dive, Riko." He murmured quietly to the brunette. "It was all just static and white noise."

Aida frowned, and took off the gloves from her hands. "I... was forced out..." She whispered. "And I couldn't get anything either." She was looking troubled, as she carefully watched the mystery that was the gender changing red head.

"Quiet curious." A voice sounded beside them.

Everyone turned around and spotted Kuroko standing close to Izuki. They all shouted out in shock, and jumped back. "WHEN!?"

The blue haired boy looked at his seniors. "Since the very beginning." He casually replied. "I've never seen a Heart-Dive been performed, so I came to watch."

Aida grabbed the boy into a headlock, growling at him from always trying to give them heart attacks. Izuki tried to calm down the brunette, to save the blue haired boy from her rage. All the while, Kuroko silently watched the red haired girl.

 

* * *

 

"And this is Étoile Clan's weaponry and armory room!" Koganei threw his hands out, as he stood in the center of the room. Kagami and Kuroko, with Mitobe following behind them, stepped into a room filled with a large variety of weapons. The red head looked around, her mouth hanging open in awe.

Koganei grinned proudly. "This our Clan's collection. We have all sorts of weapons to suit mostly all the Classes."

Kuroko glanced over at the red head, browsing through the firearms section. "Each Class has a preference of weapon they use during fights, to better suit their abilities."

"Then, you as Assassin, you would use...?" Kagami looked over her shoulder at the blue haired boy.

"I prefer knives, daggers and short swords. I could use some guns, though I would like to say I am very proficient with accuracy, it is just not my style." He replied.

"Kagami is entered as a Freelancer Class, like me." Koganei said, he grinned widely. "Basically, we can use almost all the weapons, and do a variety of abilities, but we do not have master level control of them." He walked over to where all the shiny small blades were. "If you have any question of a weapon, I'm more than happy to tell you about them, since I've practically used almost all of the weapons in here." He jabbed his thumb to his chest, smiling proudly. Mitobe patted the boy's head.

Kuroko turned around, and saw Kagami walking into the next section of the weaponry. The red haired girl stood in front of the wall with different swords. There were different lengths, and designs. He carefully walked up beside the girl. "You seem very interested in swords." He commented.

The red head jumped back. "Geez! Stop doing that!" She grabbed the boy's head, trying to squeeze it. "Are you try to pick a fight, or give me a heart attack!?"

Kuroko was slapping the girl's wrist. "I do not do it on purpose."

"Why do I not believe you?" Kagami questioned with a sarcastic tone. She released the boy, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously... even the Phasma have more of a presence than you do." Blue eyes bore into her, and the girl started to squirm, feeling uncomfortable with the apathetic stare. She scowled, and poked his forehead. "What? Whenever you look at me like that, I think you're trying to plot something."

The boy shook his head. "No, just thinking you are really unique and very interesting, Kagami-kun." He replied, rubbing the spot the girl poked a bit roughly.

A small warmth spread upon Kagami's cheeks. She scowled more, and roughly ruffled the boy's hair. "Stop saying stupid things." She huffed, then released the boy, looking back at the display of swords. She turned her head, and her eyes widened slightly.

Kuroko tried to fix his hair, then looked up when the girl started to walk away. Kagami's eyes sparkled at the sword in front of her, as if she was mesmerized. She slowly reached out to lightly touch the cool metal of the blade under the tips of her fingers. The handle and base of the sword had an intricate design, with a touch of black, white and red. The blade was wide, spanning to about the length of Kagami's male broad shoulders. The height of the whole blade was nearly as tall as Kuroko.

"So, you're interested in a heavy sword." Koganei spoke up, disrupting the slight trance the girl had. The girl pulled her hand away, and looked at the older male, who came up to her other side. "No one really has wielded the heavy sword. I've probably used one about twice in my whole fighting career, but because it's too heavy for me, and makes it hard to be agile and quick, I don't use it much." He laughed a bit awkwardly from his honest info of himself.

Mitobe came over, and motioned towards the sword, looking at the girl. "Yeah! Go ahead and pick it up. Try it out!" Koganei translated.

Kagami licked her lips, and then wrapped two hands on the long handle of the big blade. She took in a deep breath, and then lifted up the sword. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, finding out how light it was in her grasp. The three boys moved aside, as they watched the girl start swinging it, side to side and up and down. Then she held it up with one hand, her eyes wide with awe, and smiling widely at it.

There was an applaud. Koganei was grinning widely. "Wow! You're a natural, it seems, with heavy swords! You make it look so easy to carry around, Kagami!" Mitobe was nodding in agreement.

The girl lowered the sword, and rubbed the back of her head, suddenly becoming bashful. "Well... I don't know. I really don't know about fighting, especially with swords and all, but... I don't know... something told me to pick this one." She tried to explain.

"That is most likely your instinct as a Chosen, pointing towards to what may be your real Class, and the suited style of combat, Kagami-kun." Kuroko explained. He watched her intently.

Mitobe started to wave his hand, as a gesture towards Kagami. Koganei nodded, and looked at the red head. "That means, starting tomorrow, you'll begin your training, Kagami. That sword can be yours now." He translated for his silent companion.

Kagami raised her brows, then slightly tilted her head. "Tomorrow? But... don't we have to return back home?" She asked.

Kuroko came up to her, placing a hand on her forearm. "Time is different here in OW, than in Earth." He explained. "An hour back home equals a day here in OW."

"Really?" The red head was surprised.

The blue haired boy nodded. "That is why the Phasma believe us to be some kind of immortal or demigods, since we are their saviors and protectors, sent here by their own Gods." Kagami had a small gape with her mouth, nodding slowly with understanding. Kuroko inwardly thought it was cute. "So, based in calculations, we'll be staying here in OW for about more than a week, before the gates open for us to return home."

Koganei clapped his hands. "Great! Now it's time to prepare for our big celebration. It's for the welcoming of our new recruits, despite your observation period. It's the first day, after all!" The boy ran towards the doors of the room, Mitobe hurrying after his companion.

 

* * *

 

That night, the whole Étoile Clan celebrated in the base. They set up their party in the big mess hall. There was a lot of food, a few dishes made by Mitobe. There was music playing, and all the members interacting with one another. Everyone found out about Kagami's huge appetite, and they were both slightly disgusted yet amazed by it.

Kagami declined in joining the set up games they prepared, and settled on snacking on the new desserts made specially in OW. She honestly wasn't really a party person to begin with. She just smiled and enjoyed watching her upperclassmen and fellow Freshmen students. She became mesmerized when Izuki and Furihata started to do some silly little magic tricks. She was informed that their Class was a Sorcerer.

Earlier, Aida set up a schedule where she'll be lecturing Kagami about Classes, and some important dates in the history of OW. Kagami was dreading for those hours, as she wasn't really a studious person.

"Enjoying?" A voice spoke up.

The red head jumped, tossing the last bite of pastry she had in her hand. "Kuroko! Damn it! Stop doing that!" She looked to the side, and tears nearly fell from her eyes at the waste of delicious food on the floor.

"But I have been here the whole time." He replied. Kagami started to roughly ruffle the boy's head, before Kuroko started to slap her thigh until she stopped. Then the tension settled down between them, and Kagami turned to watch the other members, telling funny stories to the Freshmen.

"I was not lying when I said that you are unique and you interest me, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said softly, just for the girl beside him to hear. Kagami raised a brow, looking at the boy from the corner of her eyes. "I am going to help you here, to cultivate your powers."

"Hah? But why me?" She turned to face the boy, leaning her chin on to her propped hand.

"For some reason, there is something about you that will not allow me to leave you alone." He replied. The girl blinked. "Do you know the relationship between a light and shadow?" He closed his eyes. "With my abilities, I am like a supporting actor, a shadow. A shadow becomes darker when the light is stronger, making the white of the light stand out." He opened his eyes and looked straight in the girl's crimson eyes. "Out of everyone in this Clan, I feel that you are the most compatible with my abilities, complimenting my supporting role, even though you are a Rookie. So as shadow of the main actor, I will make you the light, and you will become stronger."

There was a small pause of silence between them, until Kagami started to laugh boisterously. She reached over and ruffled the boy's head. "Geez, what embarrassing things you're saying." She pulled back, and then turned to face the upperclassmen and the freshmen trio that were now playing around. She leaned her cheek against her knuckles. "Just do what you want." She was trying to hide her embarrassment from the blue haired boy. "I might as well take advantage of your help, so that I'll get stronger faster, and fit in this Clan." She mumbled.

A small smile grew on Kuroko's lips, his expression softening. "I will do my best." The red head stiffened, and tore her gaze from the boy's smile. Her face was suddenly burning. She was denying in her head that her heart just skipped a beat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the first few chapters, it is more introductory, introducing the whole concept of the world, especially for a Rookie like Kagami. It is also for the benefit of the readers, so that they could understand how the world is like in this story. So sorry, the other key characters won't be showing that soon. Please be patient!
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
>  **Phasma** = One of inhabitants of the Other World that are very similar to the humans on Earth. However, they do not have any defining features that could separate them from the other, like humans. They are like dark shadows, but with a human like figure, and wear visible clothes. They are quiet intelligent and creative, but defenseless. They are the residents that live in and run the towns that Clans protect and guide. The background of the Phasma is however unknown.
> 
>  
> 
> Class Types  
>  **Guide Class** = They are able to gather information from their surroundings, and have direct access to the world wide information of OW. They could pinpoint general areas of the locations of Dungeons, however, they won't be able to pinpoint the exact location. They could tell the levels of a Dungeon, and the levels of monsters roaming. But they cannot give the exact directions to an Artifact, or what exactly is waiting before them in a Dungeon. They could also tell the levels and the abilities of a person. They, all though, don't have the capabilities to cast any spells, except healing, nor they don't have the status of being able to fight physically well. They do have various psychic abilities, enhanced senses, and have the common ability of scanning with their healing (but only outside of battle fields and Dungeons).  
>  ** _Aida Riko_**  
>  OW Abilities: Scan ability, absorption of knowledge through invisible air waves and internet lines, “human computer”, minor healing abilities, enhanced senses, marksmanship  
> Ref costume: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111110204046/finalfantasy/images/8/81/FFXIII-2_Serah_Costume_DLC_Choice_1.jpg
> 
>  
> 
> **Freelancer Class** = 'Jack of all trades, but master of none'. They are very knowledgeable of all various weapons, but have no preference and have not fully mastered any of them. They are able to cast low level magic spells of any type. Their status varies, but most are well rounded, with no special technique of their own.  
>  ** _Koganei Shinji_**  
>  OW Abilities: high evasion and agility; 'weapon specialist', but leaning more to swords and handguns.  
> Ref costume: http://cdn2.spong.com/artwork/t/a/tacticsogr333612l/_-Tactics-Ogre-Let-Us-Cling-Together-PSP-_.jpg  
>  ** _Kagami Taiga_**  
>  OW Abilities: N/A  
> Ref costume for female: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141225101521/finalfantasy/images/4/47/FFE_Freelancer.png
> 
> Want the ref costumes of the other? Just ask on the comments. I'll only give out costume refs of any of the Seirin guys, no one else, since they have not been introduced in the story yet.


	3. The Star of Hope III

With a loud battle cry, the heavy blade came crashing down upon the big monstrous wolf, that had a mix of a dark gray-purple color coat. After the impact, it burst into glittering lights that gathered together, being pulled into a special watch, followed by a soft beep from the device. Under the giant heavy sword was a deep indentation caused by the force of the blade. With a sigh of relief, Kagami, still as a female in strange body hugging clothing, stood up straight, and wiped her forehead with the back of her gloved hand.

"Looks like we're done here for the day." Called out Koganei, relaxing his stance, and allowing his smaller and lighter sword, compared to the one that Kagami had, de-materlize into thin air. He lifted his left wrist, pressing buttons on his own special watch. Then he turned over to his silent partner, Mitobe, who was looking over to make sure none of his comrades needed medical attention.

There was a pat on the red head's shoulder, and the girl looked over at her small partner. "You did well, Kagami-kun. You are improving very quickly in battling." Kuroko commented. The girl shyly rubbed the back of her head, giving a shaky smile.

Over the duration of their stay in the Other World, the new members diligently did all the tasks that were given to them, as per their orders during their 'Observational Period'. They did small errands in the town, and did rounds in boarder patrols, fighting off monsters that strayed in the lands the town of Étoile claimed. As routine, and as part of the Clan, they did some training with their elder clansmen, under the guiding eye and fierce instructions and regimen of their female leader, Aida Riko.

In the past five days, no one had it more rough than with Kagami, being trained and tutored under the keen eye of Aida, and also with the help of Kuroko. The red head was a Rookie in all sense, knowing nothing, and just barely been brought into OW, compared to the three to four years experience everyone else had under their belt. However, Kagami surpassed both Aida and Kuroko's expectations. She was able to fight ten monsters a day, like her sempai, and that was without the assistance of her comrades, and in her own comfortable combat style. Though no known special abilities had not been revealed or discovered of the red head, Kagami was near to overpowering their currently highest in defense, Mitobe. Unfortunately, it was also discovered that the red head can be an idiot, still having trouble in fully understanding the mechanics of the world, even after three hours a night spent in studying under strict Aida-sensei.

It was also during that time-span that Kagami got to know all about the members of the Clan, and she became very comfortable around them. Though, there was one that always puzzled her the most, and it was the silent, and very low presence, Kuroko Tetsuya, the one that she spent almost all of her time with. She has learned a lot from the boy of the new world, however, she wasn't able to learn a lot about the boy himself. Kuroko seemed to always keep quiet or negate the topic away, when it came to himself. But, Kagami was able to gather a few little things about the usually blanked face boy. She figured out the moments when Kuroko felt happy, or was angry, which was very scary. And, the more she stayed near him, the less likely she would get surprised if he just suddenly speaks or pops out of no where.

"Alright team, let's head back to base!" Koganei called out, starting to head towards the gates of Espoir town, and to their headquarters.

 

* * *

 

Everyone from the Étoile Clan were gathered in the meeting room of their base. The table was a big circle, with everyone having a great view of all the members gathered. At the center were holographic projections. Hyuuga cleared his throat after his report, and sat down, just as the 3 dimensional images disappeared. Izuki and Tsuchida also sat down, having helped in the report of their progress, and the secure boarders of the town they settled in.

All the while, Aida sat silently with a concentrated expression. Most of her attention was focused on the tall red haired gender switcher. The leader of the clan loved puzzles, and did not deny that she was very smart, always wanting to know many things and figuring out mysteries. Yet, this particular new Rookie in her clan was someone she could not figure out, though the younger girl, who was really a boy in their own world, was very simple minded and usually very easy to read. Everyone could read her, and they would tease that she was an idiot, coining the nickname of 'Ba-Kagami'.

The brunette looked up, and images of the new recruits appeared at the center. The five freshmen stiffened and reacted at their pictures with their status being shown. Aida looked hard at the picture and status of the female fighter. ' _Kagami-kun does have potential to be a Warrior Class, however, it's not for certain. She still has not shown any special abilities to bring out her true fighting Class... That is why she will be kept as Freelancer..._ '

Aida stood up from her seat, leaning most of her weight to her hands that were on the table. She looked at each member, and smiled at the five freshmen. "For the duration of your time here in OW, you've been under observation. And I have to say that you all exceeded all of our expectations spectacularly." The brunette stood up straight, and crossed her arms over her chest. "However, you'll all be put into what I'd like to call a test." She smirked. Most of the freshmen gulped nervously. "Oh, there is nothing to worry about, I promise!" She smiled sweetly. The others did not really buy the innocent look she held.

"We have an hour left here in OW, so we decided that you'll have your test when we return back here." Hyuuga said, adjusting his glasses.

Kagami blinked her eyes, slightly tilting her head. "Return...?" She slowly questioned.

"What, you thought we were going to stay here forever?" Aida raised a brow. She chuckled lightly. "We all still have lives back on Earth. There is no way we could stay here all the time."

"I heard rumors that bad things could happen to you, if you don't go back home to Earth, every once in a while." Tsuchida spoke in an ominous tone. Kagami shivered, not wanting to think of the consequences.

"Plus, we all still have school to attend." Hyuuga turned to the girl, and narrowed his eyes. "We can't be idiots if we are to survive in this world. It's not all just about fighting with brute force. You need to use your brain! So, you need to study more, Ba-Kagami!" There were a few snickers, and a deadpanned look coming from one blue haired boy beside her.

Kagami pouted, crossing her arms. "I know that! And I'm not an idiot!" She slightly whined.

 

* * *

 

Lost in thought, Kagami, back to being his male self, sat in one of his favorite places to eat in Japan, Maji Burger. He stared out the window, watching as people passed by, and the sky was slowly changing colors as night was arriving. He took a big bite of his cheeseburger, and glanced back out through the window. ' _I can't believe all that has just happened._ ' His mind wandered.

He looked away, and picked up his cold soda to help wash down some of his food in his mouth. ' _Here on Earth, it was literally just yesterday, but in the Other World, it was a week that passed by._ ' He sighed, and opened his eyes. ' _It's too much like a dream, all that training, and fighting monsters with unbelievable weapons._ '

"I hope it doesn't hurt for you to be thinking this hard, Kagami-kun."

Crimson eyes widened, as Kagami raised his head. There sitting in front of him was his blue haired classmate and fellow clansman. With a loud yelp of surprise, the tall boy fell off his chair. The boy quickly sat up, and slammed his hand on the table, glaring hard at the shorter boy. "What the-!? Damnit, Kuroko, since when have you been there!?" He shouted.

The blue haired boy sighed, and just sipped his drink. "Calm down Kagami-kun, you're making a scene." Kuroko replied calmly.

The red head scowled, then looked over at the eyes that were on him. He blushed, and got up, fixing his chair and sitting back down. The red head glared hard at boy. "What are you doing here?" He hissed.

"I thought we agreed to eat dinner together, before going back to school, to cross over to OW with the others?" Kuroko looked up at the tall boy with his wide, nearly emotionless, eyes. "And you even offered to buy me a vanilla shake."

"Huh!?" The red head sighed, rubbing his temple. "You know what, never mind." He grumbled, and picked up an unwrapped burger. Then the red head glanced up at the boy he was made to be paired with, the one whom he made a promise with back in the OW. "Say, I mean everyone kept raving about it, but who are the Miraculous Generals?" Kagami questioned, breaking the silence.

Kuroko blinked in slight surprise from the sudden question. "You bring this up just now?"

The red head shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just curious, that's all." He crumbled up the wrapper, and let it fall to his tray, with the rest of the pile of empty crumpled wrappers. He leaned back into his chair. "Just how strong are they to be able to earn such a corny title and be talked about by everyone else?" He questioned.

"Well, as you know they are very powerful, because they have abilities and powers way beyond that of their own Classes." Kuroko explained. "You can say they are not categorized as their typical fighting Class. And they earned their name for being known as undefeated before Kiseki Clan was disbanded in OW. It was like... no one could touch them, not even those more experienced that them, and have been fighting in OW for more than five years. They have helped the Kiseki Clan nearly over rule all the available lands in OW."

Kagami hummed with interest. "What if I were to challenge one of them?"

"Currently?" The shorter boy stared at the red head with a deadpanned expression. "As you are now, you'll be annihilated in less than a second."

The red head tisked. "You didn't have to put it that bluntly. And you wouldn't know, unless you tried." He grumbled.

The blue haired boy shook his head. "You are still a Rookie, Kagami-kun. And they have been fighting for nearly four years. If you calculate that in OW time, they have been fighting and gaining a lot of experience for a very long time." Kuroko carefully watched the bigger boy. "Why would you want to even compare yourself with other fighters who have more experience than you? I shall admit that you are getting stronger faster, but there are many out there that could easily defeat you, since you are still a Rookie."

"I know, I know. It's just... I thought that defeating one of them could maybe, you know, help Étoile Clan be recognized. Maybe it could help in getting our Clan better chances with better quality gifts from the Gods, or something like that..." Kagami mumbled into his straw, before taking a sip of his soda. "After spending time with all the members of the Clan, I'm enjoying myself there, even if I'm a stupid Rookie. But you know, I want to help them become one of the top known groups of all of OW. The Étoile Clan have inspiring goals, and it's really motivating to get stronger and reach for the top with them." The red head looked up, and suddenly felt bashful with all the things he was saying. "Uh... I mean..."

Kuroko bowed his head, hiding his smile. "I understand." He spoke, sparing the red head from further feeling embarrassed. "And I do not think you are wrong to believe that if defeating a General might bring up the name of the Clan." He raised his head, looking up at Kagami. "It is not a stupid thought, Kagami-kun. And, I feel that I also want to share that dream with you too. I chose you, after all, as my Light, and as the Shadow, I shall help you in reaching the goal of making our Clan the top."

The blue haired boy thought it was adorable to see the growing redness spread on the taller male's face. Kagami tried to hide his flustered expression with a glare. "I-idiot, seriously stop saying that kind of stuff." He grumbled, pressing his hand against his lips, with his elbow on the table.

Kuroko tore his gaze away from Kagami, and closed his eyes. "As I said before, I was very close to those Miraculous Generals, back when I was still part of the Kiseki Clan. We even all went to the same Middle School together. And, though I do not like to announce it, I was the titled Phantom Sixth General, since we were all in fact part of the same squad in Kiseki Clan."

"Why wouldn't you want to proudly proclaim that kind of title? I mean, everyone places the Miraculous Generals on a high pedestal." Kagami furrowed his brows, closely watching the smaller boy. ' _To be able to be part of their group, Kuroko must be very strong... but how strong?_ ' He was trying to think back on the little fights with the monsters they had, or the sparring session.

"I am not one to care for such titles... and my views clashed with the other members. There were a lot of disagreements on our purpose as a fighter." Kuroko slightly frowned, his hand slightly clutching tighter on to his Styrofoam cup. "So... I left, because I felt that the Kiseki Clan was corrupted..." He glanced up straight into the red head's eyes. "And I do not feel guilty of being glad that the great Clan got dismantled." He nearly whispered.

Ruby eyes blinked, carefully watching the blue haired boy. "You know... why would you join a very new Clan that just formed, especially when you came from such a big named Clan in OW? I would have thought that you would usually enter the same school and Clan as those Generals you were close to. Aren't they your friends?" He furrowed his brows, crossing his arms. "But then, you do sound like you are no longer that close to one another anymore..."

"You are right, Kagami-kun. Like I said before, I have not talked to them, sadly, since I left the Clan and graduated from Teikou Middle." Kuroko replied. Kagami thought he saw some sadness in the boy's wide blue eyes. "But I do know, every General has went to separate schools, meaning they went into new separate Clans. Sooner or later, each General will clash, and would want to reach the top and prove to be the strongest." He closed his eyes, and murmured to himself. "Unfortunately... it may turn to an all out war in OW..."

The blue haired boy glanced up at the red head. "Since the beginning, I was going to use you for selfish reasons, to show those Generals my view and ideals that we have greatly disagreed upon in the past." His gaze softened. "You interest me greatly, Kagami-kun, and I was willing to help you grow as an OW fighter. Everyone could see that potential in you, a Rookie. And you will be the one to help me in stopping the Miraculous Generals."

Kuroko sat up straight, and crossed his fingers around his ice cream shake. "I said that _you_ would not be able to defeat those Generals." He stressed the word 'you', staring deeply into the those ruby red eyes. "But, together, we may have a chance. Fighting them alone is a fool's errand, and a ticket to utter defeat. With you, _we_ can raise _our_ Clan to great heights. My reasons are my own as to why I chose to attend Seirin, but I saw something in the Clan that was way different than when I was in Kiseki."

There was a brief pause of silence between the two. Kagami leaned forward, his chin resting on his knuckles. "You know, you talk way more than my first impression of you." He mumbled, in a light manner. The gaze from the shorter boy became intense. "But I don't mind you using me for your own personal gain. I don't even mind sharing your goal of defeating the Miraculous Generals." He pointed a fry at the boy, before stuffing it in his mouth. "Plus, I'm taking advantage of your help to get stronger. We'll raise our Clan to be number one, you got that?"

Suddenly, a wrapped burger was suddenly shoved towards the blue haired boy. Kuroko blinked and looked up at the red head. Kagami was scowling off to the side, trying to hide his blushing embarrassment. "Here. You look like you need it. I don't often give away my food, but just once, for you, I'm willing to." He grumbled.

Kuroko gave a small smile, and took the offered food. "You know, I mostly prefer vanilla shakes from here."

 

* * *

 

Dressed in her costume, as the Guide Class, Aida crossed her arms, fully concentrated on a certain profile opened in the holographic screen of her own computer in her small command room. Behind her stood Hyuuga and Izuki, patiently waiting on their leader. "Looks like you two will be going into the Dungeons with Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun for their test." The brunette announced, without turning around to her fellow clansmen. "Furihata-kun, Kawahara-kun, and Fukuda-kun already went to their test with Tsuchida-kun, Koganei-kun and Mitobe-kun this morning."

"What's got you so deep in thought, Riko?" Izuki questioned. Then the teen's back straightened, and he grinned. "Hope you won't fall or get lost in the crevices of your mind." He added.

Hyuuga scowled and elbowed the teen beside him. He looked up to the brunette. "You've been mulling over Kagami for a long time. What is it, Riko?"

The girl turned around, with a frown on her lips. "I have this feeling that there is more to Kagami-kun than we already know." Aida replied. "I am positive that when you guys enter that Dungeon, there will be a lot revealed about him, but it will only be the surface of it we'll be able to scratch."

The bespectacled teen sighed, and crossed his arms. "Maybe you're just thinking too hard on it, and Kagami is just as simple as his idiotic self."

"Well, you can't forget that when he crosses over to OW, he turns into a girl, and then there is the very fast rate of his stats rising quickly in such a short amount of time, compared to our years of training. How about when Riko went into the Heart Dive and got kicked out, or the fact that he has never been to OW or even told about it by anyone in his family." Izuki listed out.

"I guess you'll just have to see when we're out in the field, especially when Kagami is faced in real challenging battles." Hyuuga spoke.

Aida sighed, and rolled her shoulders. "We'll see then. But I just want to prepare you guys to be open to whatever else Kagami has to reveal..." She turned around and pressed a few keys on her advanced and sci-fi computer. "And so, your mission..."

 

* * *

 

When the pressure on Kagami's chest was released, the tall red haired female opened her eyes, and then became mesmerized. Her surroundings changed from the futuristic, sci-fi room to a jungle. Looking around, she definitely recognized that all the vegetation was very different from all the plants and trees back in Espoir Town or even back in Japan. She felt assaulted by her senses from the new environment, with the sounds of unknown hiding animals, smell of after rain, and the feel of moisture in the air. The girl had to wipe the perspiration from her temple, due to the real humid jungle atmosphere.

"Teleport complete. Every member is all accounted for." Kagami turned around to see their captain of their mission speaking, looking up to the sky. Before they were teleported from their base to their current location, each person was given special watches and some kind of communication device that stuck to the back of their ear. It was a way for them to have a line to their base, especially to stay connected with their leader and Guide.

" _Sorry that I can't send you directly to the entrance of the Dungeon. I can only get you as close as 5 kilometers from it._ " Aida's voice was heard among the members.

Izuki turned to the others. "Then we'll have to fan out within a 5 kilometers radius from our starting position to look for the entrance of the Dungeon." He replied. The teen rolled up his sleeves, feeling a bit hot in the humid environment. "This will be an adventure." He grinned at the freshmen duo.

Kuroko turned to the tall female. "As you know, Aida-sempai is a Guide Class. She could help send us into the general locations of the Dungeons we are targeting." He explained to the new Chosen. Kagami nodded, and looked around.

Hyuuga rolled his shoulders. "We're going to have to split up to look for the Dungeon." He turned to the freshman duo. "We're more than likely to encounter some higher level monsters in these jungles, compared to the easy monsters roaming around back in Espoir." He looked directly at the red haired female. "So you have to be careful, and smart about choosing battles. If one 'dies' here in OW, you'll get returned back to Earth, and we can't return here to OW for at least three weeks." He warned. "Usually, a whole month back at Earth is a very long time here in OW, if you bother with the calculations."

"Dungeons are worse than open fields, really." Izuki added. "That is why most members 'die' in Dungeons than any other place." Kagami squirmed at the thought, and turned around. The older boy turned to the second-in-command. "Shall I partner up with Kuroko, or you?"

The light haired boy looked up when he saw the red head sharply raise her head. Kagami became silent, and was furrowing her brows, as if confused or wondering of something. She was turning her head from side to side, raising her chin to the air once again. Kuroko came closer to the girl, ignoring the two older students discussing of how they should go look for the Dungeon. "Kagami-kun, is something wrong?" He questioned.

The girl frowned. "I think... we should go over there." She stretched out her arm, and pointed to a direction. "I don't know why... but I'm getting a feeling that we should head that way."

The two senior students paused in their debate and looked at the red head. Hyuuga raised a brow. "And why should we rely on a Rookie's sense of direction? You have never been to a Dungeon, let alone seen one in this world." He argued.

" _It won't hurt to try, you know._ " Aida's voice spoke through their communication line.

"I trust in the judgment of Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied. Izuki just smiled and shrugged, not caring on what they decide.

Hyuuga sighed, and raked his fingers through his spiky hair. "Fine. Let's go." He commanded.

 

* * *

 

After escaping the thickness of the jungle, the group stepped out into a clearing, and in front of them was a sight to behold for the Rookie. It was a big stone structure, like the ones in history books, about the Aztec pyramidal temples. Kagami's jaw was hanging, in disbelief that she stood in front of a famous structure, but it looked very new and more mesmerizing up close.

"You like the look of it outside, wait before you go inside." Izuki remarked, and followed Hyuuga up the long hike up the steps to the entrance.

" _Wow! That's the quickest time for finding the Dungeon! And we're in luck that no one has went in yet!_ " Aida exclaimed. Both Hyuuga and Izuki were both thinking the same thing at that moment, ' _Riko is adding more to the mystery of Kagami's powers and capabilities_ '.

When they reached the top, and stood in front of the entrance, Hyuuga turned to the freshmen duo, but mostly towards Kagami. "As I said before, the monsters will be tougher." He warned. "In the Dungeons it will be like a maze, but filled up with monsters and also some trials and traps. We have to stick together, no matter what, or we'll be lost forever, until someone finds the Artifact."

Izuki looked at the others. "We should head in now, before anyone else decides they want to conquer this Dungeon too." He neared the stone door blocking the way, and placed his hand over it. There was a small spark, and then a big glowing portal opened in front of them. Izuki walked through first, followed by Hyuuga.

Kuroko turned to the girl, seeing her hesitance. "Everything will be alright, Kagami-kun." He said reassuringly, offering out his hand to the tall female. Kagami slowly released a deep breath, before reaching out to the light blue haired boy's inviting hand. Her vision, then, was blinded by the light, as she stepped through.

When she opened her eyes again, the scenery changed. She stood at the center of a big chamber, where dusty old walls surrounded them, and dark corridors leading to unknown places. ' _Like a maze..._ ' Kagami frowned.

" _The monsters are all levels that even a Rookie like Kagami could take care of, but of course higher levels than the ones back here in Espoir._ " Aida's voice resonated in their heads. Kagami tuned out when their leader started listing the strange names of the monsters that were in the Dungeon. The red head looked around, and furrowed her brows. ' _That feeling again... it's coming from...'_ She turned around and face one corridor connecting to the chamber they were in.

"Oi! Kagami!" Hyuuga chopped the girl's head. "Pay attention!"

The red head rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry..." She muttered. Beside her, Kuroko was closely watching the girl.

The bespectacled male sighed, and stood up straighter, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because we don't know the direct path to the Artifact, we're thinking of splitting up in pairs." He looked at the freshmen duo. "Usually it would take us about a whole day to conquer a Dungeon, so we're going to have to be quick about it, before other Clans decide to enter." Then he looked straight at the red head female. "Capturing Dungeons is always a race between Clans, and the prize and directive is that Artifact hidden in this Dungeon."

" _Sorry, but Guides are limited in their powers about the direct routes to the Artifacts within the Dungeons. We can't even see what the boss monster of this Dungeon is and its level, until you guys encounter it. All we know and could tell are generalizations and close guesses._ " Aida explained, for the benefit of their Rookie member.

"If I could make the first suggestion." They all turned to the shortest member among them. Kuroko extended his arm and pointed towards one corridor. "We should all go towards that way."

"Hah!? You too? What is this, do all kids your age have some kind of super senses surpassing the capabilities of a Guide!?" Hyuuga thought out loud with an outrageous tone.

Izuki shook his head. "Calm down, Hyuuga. It was just a suggestion." He looked to Kuroko. "Are you sure we should go that way?" He asked in a kinder voice.

The light haired male nodded. "Believe me if you want." Kuroko replied.

Kagami looked at the boy with awe. ' _So, he could sense what I have been sensing too. It could be what they are trying to look for._ ' She smiled. ' _Kuroko, you're amazing._ '

' _Kagami's instincts are very advanced and keen. It must come with the mystery shrouding around her true powers and capabilities._ ' The light blue haired boy thought. ' _What else will you show us, Kagami-kun? Maybe... maybe we could one day really..._ '

 

* * *

 

Every chamber they came into, they either encountered monsters or some sort of trial. The deeper they threaded through the labyrinth, the tougher things became. Kagami was impressed in the fighting capabilities of her seniors, especially seeing for the first time Hyuuga and Izuki in action, since she and Kuroko have been working mostly with Mitobe and Koganei. It was then realized by the red head that these older teens, and all the other members, have been fighting since their junior high school years

Never once have they split in pairs, as the initial plan from the beginning of their excursion. Kuroko would voice out his opinion of going to certain directions, whenever they cleared the path and end up in an open chamber with surprises. Fortunately, the direction that Kuroko would point out avoided all the traps. Both Hyuuga and Izuki were impressed, believing that maybe all Miraculous Generals had the same capabilities or sense of direction like Kuroko. However, no one noticed that the boy, the whole time, was discreetly watching Kagami, who would unknowingly look towards a certain direction, intently.

The group walked into a very big chamber, where there was treasure lying all around the edges, and a set of stairs leading to a high pedestal at the center. There was an opening at the top, where light poured in, and on top of the glittering object floating on top of the pedestal.

" _Wow! Great work everyone, you made it to the Heart Chamber just less than an hour!_ " Aida cheered in their heads.

' _I was correct, Kagami's instincts can lead through the direct route to the Artifact._ ' Kuroko thought, watching the boy-turned-girl.

Hyuuga was gaping, and glanced over at Kagami. The girl was mesmerized by all the gold just lying around, and the decor of the very open room. The bespectacled male shook his head, and then went into a defensive stance. "It's not time to celebrate yet. We still need to defeat the guardian of this Dungeon." He said. Beside him, his teammates also became cautious, with their weapons out in their hands.

The place suddenly shook, and loose dust started to sprinkle down from the ceiling. Kagami was suddenly growing excited, grinning widely at the new challenge. "It comes." Hyuuga murmured.

With a loud roar, a giant black snake shot out from behind the tall stair case, and then wrapped its long body around it, guarding the only access way to the Artifact. It opened its mouth wide, baring its fangs, and flickering its tongue with a hiss. Kagami stepped back a bit, loudly gulping down. ' _That's 10 times bigger than any other monster we've ever fought...._ '

" _Guardian Serpentine, a Rank 3 monster_." Aida informed through their communication link. " _Be careful of the poisonous attacks, and I would be wary of its tail and its head._ "

Hyuuga smirked, and in his hands was a riffle. He glanced over at the female, and chuckled. "Not getting scared, are you?"

The girl turned to her senior, and huffed. "No." She muttered with a pout.

"Watch out!" Izuki shouted, just as the snake monster slammed its tail at them. The four jumped away, and dodged the attack. The impact caused an indentation on the stone floor, where the snake tried to crush them with its tail.

Within seconds, the lone female jumped forward with her big sword overhead and a loud battle cry. Her blade hit the snake on its body, creating a cut through its dark scales. The monster cried out, and swung its tail.

Hyuuga clicked his tongue. "That idiot! Rushing in without a plan." He raised his riffle and a powerful shot was released, hitting the snake on its tail, before it could slam against Kagami. "Looks like we're taking support with long range attacks." He shouted out. Izuki nodded, and a magic circle appeared below his feet. Kuroko seemed to have disappeared. One shot after the other, the snake seemed to get distracted, but then would turn back its attention to the red head that was moving around and jumping swiftly, while striking with her large sword. Hyuuga furrowed his brows as he watched the female. ' _It's like she's being protected, or harm is being deflected from touching her. Could it be Kuroko?_ ' He wondered, as he could not find the shortest male anywhere.

"Hyuuga, its eyes. If you take it out, we'll surely get the advantage. Hitting it anywhere else with your shots are ineffective because of its scales." Izuki said, then he waved his hand, that started to glow in a silver light. "I'm going to give you one chance, Hyuuga."

"Yeah, yeah." The bespectacled teen changed stance, and raised his rifle, aiming at the monsters thrashing head.

Izuki then threw his hand forward. "Paralyze!"

The snake flinched, and became stiff, struggling to move. Kagami looked up in surprise at the monster. "Power Shot!" The red head looked over her shoulder in time to see Hyuuga release his strong attack. The shot hit the monster at the eye, and it exploded, the snake crying out.

"Kagami-kun, take the head out!" Kuroko shouted.

The red head grinned widely, and went into a stance. It suddenly felt as if everything went quiet and calm. Kagami took in a steady breath. ' _I feel like... I can take this monster out... in one hit!_ ' Her hair started to whip around her, and her skin felt like it was comfortably burning. Flames erupted around the female, causing all the males to widen their eyes in surprise. Then Kagami charged forward, with her sword trailing beside her. The fires were swirling all around her, and gathering around her sword. Then she leaped up high, her hands tightening on the handles of her giant sword. "FLAME STRIKE!"

With a smooth strike straight down to the ground, Kagami stayed hunched over, sword in hands, and the edge of the blade embedded on the stone floor. Then the snake burst into flames, and quickly turned into ash. Kagami relaxed, and stood up, grinning widely. "I did it." She breathed out to herself.

Behind the girl, Hyuuga and Izuki were awe struck at what they just witnessed. Kuroko's surprise slowly morphed to a proud smile. The bespectacled male shook his head, and walked up to the girl. He dropped a hand on her shoulder, and grinned. "Great job, Kagami. Where did that come from?" He questioned.

The girl blinked. "I don't know." Kagami replied. "It... it just came to me, like this burning sensation just wanted to come out... and I let it."

"Looks like you're one of the only members that could easily use elemental attacks." Izuki mused.

Hyuuga curled his hand into a fist, and lightly punched the tall girl on her upper arm. "You did well for your first excursion, Rookie." Then he went on to climb the steps to the top, where the Artifact was.

"As I thought, Kagami-kun is pretty amazing." Kuroko said, standing at the red head's side.

Kagami jumped, and turned around towards the light haired boy. "Wah! I told you to stop doing that!" The girl grabbed the boy's head, and was squeezing his cheeks in both her hands.

Izuki smiled, and looked up to see Hyuuga waving at them. "Come on, let's get back to the base with our prize."

 

* * *

 

"I'm pretty sure I've already told you what Artifacts are." Aida started, with her hands on her hips. In front of her sat Kagami, while they were both alone in the meeting room. The leader pulled the tall girl aside when they all returned. Then she went on reprimanding her about thinking before rushing into things. Then came some short lessons that was causing Kagami's head to become dizzy. "But, in case you forgot, I'll still tell you."

The red head huffed, and crossed her arms. Kagami didn't want to outright admit it, but she really did forget a few things sometimes. "They are objects with magical properties, that have their own special characteristics and abilities. They can help a Clan with their needs, and can produce tools or necessities in order for settlements to grow." Aida explained. She reached out to her keyboard, and then an image appeared on the holographic screen.

Kagami perked in recognition. It was a 3D image of the Artifact that they got from her first conquered Dungeon. It was a big, leather bound and, old looking book that had intricate designs. The brunette gestured towards the image. "This here is a tome that will allow the growth of strawberry plants and peach trees." Aida smiled widely with excitement.

The red head furrowed her brows. "What's so special of a book that grows fruits?" She muttered.

"Idiot!" Aida slammed her hand on the table. Kagami flinched a bit. "If we have this, we no longer have to go and buy these fruits off the market! This way, we could make trades with other Clans." She sighed. "I'll spare you the details, but it's called business and building alliances." The red head turned to the side and muttered to herself that she wasn't an idiot.

"Any way, as I was saying, Artifacts are important, useful and necessary for the growth of our Clan and this town." Then the image on the screen changed into a small fancy and golden jar. "See this? This gives us purified water running in this town. Just fill it with water, leave it somewhere safe, and then wells and streams appear over night through the town! We got ourselves our own irrigation system." Then the image changed again to a clay sculpture of what looked like a pig. "And this one allows us to have some livestock in the town! Just find a pair of animals, male and female, set them together, and over night a flock of them will appear. That's how we get our meat. Then we have some artifacts for teaching some Phasma to be builders, and fishermen, and so on. All those important roles needed to make this settlement grow."

Kagami waved her hand. "I get it!" Inwardly, she was amazed of the strange working of the new world. She was also impressed of the elaborate system built by a group of teenagers. ' _Definitely like a video game... but this is real life..._ '

Then the doors suddenly opened, and Koganei came running in with a very excited expression. "Riko! Everything is ready for tomorrow!"

Kagami slightly tilted her head, confused. "Something is going to happen?"

The older male was smiling widely. "You bet! Tomorrow, we're making it an official festival for Espoir, Strawberry and Peach Day!" The red head gaped in disbelief.

Aida grinned, and hooked her arm with Koganei's. They started to chat excitedly about all the things they could make out of the two fruits. Kagami snorted softly, and smiled. ' _Their happiness... I'll make sure to protect it, along with this precious town of this Clan._ '

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I promise you next chapter someone is going to appear, and I'll only allow you one guess who. Hope these first few introductory chapters helped in understanding the concepts of the worlds in this story. You can also already guess just how important Kagami is, and no s/he is not OP. Those GOM are already, and a certain leader of that group most of all like cannon. Be patient! This story is a slow build, like most of my previous stories I have written in the past.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
> 1\. **Dungeons**  
>  Mysterious buildings nearly mirroring famous ancient architectures from Earth. It was said that they were raised by the Gods, to test the powers of their soldiers from Earth, and to prize them with magical gifts to help in building cities for the residents of the Other World. They are mazes with many monsters and trials that the Chosen must conquer, in order to acquire the special hidden object. Many Clans may battle one another within to acquire the magical object. All Dungeons have levels and Ranks, and Clans may enter depending on their Rank.
> 
> 2\. **Artifacts**  
>  Magical objects hidden within the Dungeons. All Artifacts vary in abilities, and are categorized by rarity. (More on Artifacts will be added)
> 
> Class Types  
>  **Hunter** = The type with mostly high accuracy and sometimes speed and evasion. They are categorized mostly by the use of firearms, a form of archery, or knives. Some are able to have at least one elemental attack, or could manipulate the natural elements in the area.  
>  ** _Hyuuga Junpei_**  
>  OW Abilities: abnormal agility and accuracy, guns and rifles (any fire arms), archery  
> Costume Ref: http://enemyslime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ff14newclasses.jpg (male on the right without ears and tail)
> 
>  **Sorcerer** = rely on battling with magic that causes changes. Most are able to conjure suppressive magic, enhancing magic, time magic, illusionary magic, and/or barriers. Some are able to manipulate the natural elements in the surroundings, but not conjure them from thin air. Most would choose to fight physically with a staff or rod. Others choose light weight weaponry like knives or daggers. A few fight with spears or lances.  
>  ** _Izuki Shun_**  
>  OW Abilities: Eagle eye, enhancement magic, suppressive magic, wind element manipulation, spears and lances  
> Costume Ref: http://ameru.eecafe.net/images/BLOG10/twitter-cleric00.jpg  
>  ** _Furihata Kouki_**  
>  OW Abilities: barriers, time magic, illusionary magic, a few suppressive magic, staff  
> Costume Ref: http://www.finalfantasyd20.com/ffd20/images/11-whitemage-a.jpg


	4. The Elites of Solidarity

 Just before lunch time, Kuroko stood still behind the wired fence, as he watched in silent awe. The tall red haired male easily broke through a wall of two males that stood in his way. Then he jumped high and soared in the air. There was a loud shout of victory, after the red head powerfully drove the ball into the basket, scoring the winning dunk. The unknown players that gathered in the outside court started to move around, slapping backs and throwing high fives. One tall male, while drinking his water bottle, was receiving a lot of praises, before the people filed out from the court. With a soft breath, the light haired boy walked into the court towards the lone male.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko called out.

Jumping in surprise, the red head turned around and spotted the shorter boy. "Kuroko!"

Approaching the boy, Kuroko watched the taller male. "I didn't know you played basketball." He said.

Patting his towel over his forehead, Kagami shrugged his shoulders. "It's just one of my hobbies." He casually replied. Then he bent down to lift up his sports bag.

"Unfortunately, there is no basketball club in Seirin." Kuroko said, following the tall male out the court.

"Doesn't matter." Kagami answered, finishing the last of the water from the bottle. "I didn't really plan on joining it, anyways."

Kuroko raised a brow. He stared at the physically fit male. He remembered how the tall boy played earlier, and could see how well he was as a player. "Why?" He tentatively asked. Kuroko saw the small visible flinch, and there was no reply coming from the red head. Then his eyes homed on to the small wound on the elbow. "Kagami-kun, it looks like you got injured." He pointed out.

The red head paused in his walk, and looked at where Kuroko pointed. "Huh... I didn't even notice. I don't even remember when this happened." Kagami furrowed his brows.

"Shall we tend to it, before we head to school?" The light haired boy asked.

Kagami rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking of eating before heading there, and probably shower. I don't think I would want to be chewed out by the Sempai about not looking and smelling properly." He laughed to himself. Then he dropped his hand, and looked at the shorter male. "Do you want to drop by my place? I'll feed you, and we can go to school together, if you want. We got about two hours anyways." He suggested, suddenly feeling a bit awkward and shy at the spontaneous invitation.

Kuroko's expression softened. "I would love to."

 

* * *

 

The apartment was big and spacey, with minimal furniture. Kuroko stared at the nearly empty living room, spotting some magazines, a stray basketball and a stand with a cute little cactus. The light haired boy's gaze lowered, and he allowed himself to sink in the love seat, one of the only furniture in the middle of the living room. ' _It feels... kind of lonely..._ ' The boy thought to himself, as the silence heavily occupied the room.

After entering the place, Kagami told Kuroko to make himself at home, while he went to take a shower before cooking them some food. First, Kuroko was surprised to hear that Kagami could cook, which he was a little skeptic of, and then was surprised of the big place that Kagami stayed alone in. With nothing else to do, Kuroko settled his backpack on the ground beside the small couch, and then sat on it, staring out the sliding glass doors to the veranda.

' _Not even pictures of his family.... Where are they, anyway?_ ' The boy wondered.

"Sorry there is nothing much of an entertainment here." Kagami spoke, as he came into the living room, with a towel hanging around his neck. He flipped a switch, and the light came on. "Why didn't you turn on the lights?" He questioned.

"I did not know if you kept the lights on during the day or not." The shorter male replied, sitting up from his seat.

Kagami shrugged. "I don't really care." He headed towards the open kitchen. "I hope you're okay with some fried rice and grilled chicken." He said, as he busily opened cabinets and the refrigerator.

"I do not mind whatever you make, as long as it is edible." Kuroko replied, suddenly curious about Kagami cooking.

The red head glared. "Hey! I can cook!" He shouted in defense. "How else could I survive without food?"

"I thought cheeseburgers and fast food were all you live off of." Kuroko replied in a slight teasing tone. "I hope you know that eating fast food alone is really bad for your health."

"Says the vanilla shake addict!" Kagami shot back. "But I already know that I can't just live on burgers alone. I can make other stuff!" Kuroko perked at the sound of something frying, and looked over to see Kagami moving quiet fluidly behind the counter.

"Kagami-kun... where are your parents?" The light haired teen carefully asked.

"Oh, well my dad and I were supposed to come here to Japan together. But something came up back home with work, so he stayed back in LA." Kagami replied, and started pulling out plates and utensils from the cabinets. "I mean America."

"That is right, you are a returnee." Kuroko mostly said to himself. He watched as Kagami came back to the living room with plates and utensils. The red head placed them on the glass coffee table. Kuroko took the plates, and placed them on opposite ends, sorting two chopsticks on each plate. "And your mother?"

Kagami returned with two big plates. The light haired boy reacted at the sight and smell of the food placed down in front of him. He was surprised by the amount of food there was. Kagami sat down across Kuroko, on the floor, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Never knew her much. I only go off on whatever my dad tells me about her. She died when I was born."

Kuroko felt a pang in his heart. His gaze lowered. "I apologize. I should not have asked."

"Why? It's not your fault, and you didn't know." The red head replied, and started to fill his plate with fried rice and some chicken. "I don't even feel so bad about not having a mother." Kagami looked up at the light haired boy. "I forgot drinks. What do you want?"

Kuroko shook his head. "Anything is fine." The red head got up and headed back to the kitchen. The shorter male then carefully got some rice and meat in his chopsticks. Slowly, he closed his mouth, and then his eyes widened.

Kagami returned with some juice, and sat back down. He looked up at the light haired male, who was sitting still with chopsticks still in mouth. "Hey, what's wrong? Is it that bad?" He got nervous.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kuroko pulled away his utensils, and chewed. "Not at all." He looked up at the red head. "It is very delicious, Kagami-kun." He answered sincerely.

Flushing, the red head, stuffed some of his food in his mouth. After a few chews, he swallowed. "Thanks, I guess. But I don't think I'm as great as Mitobe-sempai."

Kuroko shook his head. "No, it is one of the best meals I have ever tasted, Kagami-kun. Why do you not often cook? You are always at Maji Burger, as far as I know."

Kagami shrugged. "It's faster and saves time than cooking, especially when I'm very hungry. I'm always out, and come home really tired." He then stuffed more food into his mouth. He carefully watched as Kuroko was eating with a lighthearted expression on his usually apathetic appearance. "Hey..." He broke the moment of silence between them. "Do you think... the reason I don't know at all about the OW, is because my mom could have been a Chosen before me?" He wondered.

Kuroko looked up at the boy. "It could be possible. But what about your relatives from your mother's side? Surely there could have been others that might have known."

The red head frowned. "It's complicated. That family didn't want to bother with my dad or me since I was born... or rather when my mom ran off with my dad to get married... So, never had any contact with them." Kagami replied. Kuroko carefully watched the red head.

"Hey, do you know where the Miraculous Generals are now, like which Clans they have entered to?" The red head suddenly wondered.

The shorter male shook his head. "I honestly do not know. Remember? I have lost all contact with them, mid third year of junior high." Kuroko replied.

"Oh." Kagami's expression fell slightly. "Do you regret not talking to any of them anymore? I've been noticing how sad you get whenever they are mentioned... or something..." The red head bit his lower lip, feeling guilty in bringing up the topic towards the light haired boy.

"My only regret is not being quick enough to realize the changes, and help them pull away from their distorted views..." Kuroko replied in his usual monotonous voice, the emotion quickly dispelling from his eyes. "It was what tore all of us apart... and..." Silence loomed over them.

Cleaning his plate, and finishing the rest of the food, Kagami looked up at the lighter haired male, who was slowly scooping the last bite of his food. "So you think... we might run into them any time soon?" The taller male carefully asked.

"You may be progressing rapidly in strength and skills, but you are still not strong enough to take one of them down on your own, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said in his deadpanned tone, staring directly into the pair of deep ruby eyes. "You will be easily annihilated."

The red head huffed, and started to pile the plates, cups and utensils. "Always brutally honest." He grumbled, then stood up, taking the dishes.

"However, on your own, Kagami-kun would lose terribly. But together," Kuroko looked up at the taller boy, with conviction shining in his wide light blue eyes. "We may stand a chance."

With a chuckle, Kagami headed to the kitchen. "Then, I look forward to it, with you." Unseen, Kuroko turned his head away, smiling.

 

* * *

 

Excitement sparkled in the eyes of their leader. Six members of the Étoile Clan were gathered together in the meeting room with Aida. Sitting at the round table was Hyuuga, Izuki, Mitobe, Kagami, Kuroko and Kawahara.

The female leader clapped her hands together, just as a 3D image of a map appeared, with a small spot blinking. "I decided to make you guys try out Dungeon G36, one of the Dungeons that no one was successful in conquering since its appearance about a month ago in OW time. I am betting that it means there is a super rare Artifact waiting inside, and we have to get it at all means necessary!" She saw everyone's unsure expressions, and she grinned. "Don't worry, it's only a Rank II, since our Clan is only allowed up to Rank II. You'll do fine!" She chirped.

 

* * *

 

Time passed by for the Étoile Clan. Though there was no solid team formations, Kagami and Kuroko seemed to always be paired up for Dungeon excursions. Aida reasoned that she would rather not break their impeccable partnership in battles. Everyone could see that they were nearly unbeatable, and worked together with such incredible synchronization. And more and more, Kagami greatly increased in all her stats, nearly surpassing all those that have been fighting in OW for years. It was all because of the one that claimed to be the female fighter's Shadow.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, with the back of his gloved hand, Hyuuga looked up with relief at the giant structure. "It's a good thing we don't have to take hours to find this Dungeon." He said, as he adjusted his glasses.

After four Dungeon excursions, the Clan accepted Kagami's sense of direction of finding the place, after being teleported in the middle of no where, with only a 5 kilometers radius clue. She had pointed out the correct directions successfully in each excursion, dissipating the doubt, mostly from Hyuuga, about Kagami's judgment. Their current Dungeon was in the arid desert, with very high sand dunes, and mild blistering winds picking up sand. The six chosen clansmen for the excursion stood in front of a giant palace that could only be seen in pictures about the Middle East, like the Taj Mahal.

The Clan members quickly ran into the entrance, and found themselves inside. The interior was grand, and polished like new. "I wonder if this is really like the Taj Mahal." Mumbled Izuki. "It makes you think that maybe all the other Dungeons could be copies of ancient architect back from our world."

"There is no time to wonder of anything." Hyuuga cut in, looking around. "Let's go find that Artifact that Riko really wants."

" _Hey! This could be a good opportunity for some training, especially for our Kohai!_ " Aida's voice shouted in defense. They all winced slightly.

Hyuuga shook his head slightly. "Alright I get it. No need to yell, Riko. We all could hear you clearly." After an apology from the leader, the bespectacled male turned towards the shortest male among their group. "Alright, lead the way." He waved a hand.

Not only Kagami, but the Clan all believed that Kuroko had great sense too, but by leading the way through the Dungeons, straight to the Artifact. After the number of Dungeons the freshmen duo were sent to, they have set record times within their Clan of defeating Dungeons. ' _However, it was never me that would lead them._ ' Light blue eyes glanced over at the red head, who turned and then stopped at one direction. Kuroko looked back up to the Captain of their operation. "That way." He pointed.

The group started walking down through the pointed out dark hall way. Kuroko watched the back of the male-turned-female member of their Clan. ' _I know Aida-sempai has some idea and observations of her own about Kagami-kun, but so do I... however... I still need some confirmation about something..._ ' He thought.

As the group walked out the end of the hall way, where light flooded back into their vision, they ended up in a place where there were many cases of stairs, all leading to different corridors, hallways and platforms. Some stairs were running sideways, some upside down, and more going endlessly to a point they could not really see. The sight made a few dizzy.

"I can see why no one could conquer this place." Kawahara remarked.

Izuki smiled, and patted the shoulder of their shortest member among them. "Good thing we have Kuroko, and his sense of direction through these labyrinths." He replied. Mitobe silently nodded.

Hyuuga looked at the light haired boy. "So, where to?" Kuroko took one glance at the tall female, and then pointed towards a direction.

 

* * *

 

After climbing about five different sets of stairs, and going though three hallways, the Étoile Clan found themselves in an open area. In front of them, a battle has already been engaged, and another group of fighters were busy with the giant lizard like monsters. They could only spot six fighters, the same numbers as their own group that was assigned to the excursion. From their observation, they saw a variety of Classes.

Hyuuga frowned, and raised his arm, preventing his comrades in moving into the chamber. "This is a competition, and the Artifact is our priority." He told them. The others silently nodded. "While they're distracted, let's go."

The six members of the Étoile Clan carefully went around the battle, heading to the other end of the chamber. They tried to avoid being seen by either the monsters or the rivaling clan. Kawahara bumped into the tall female when a monster laid dead where he once stood. He looked up at the girl, and apologized. "Sorry." The red head only shook her head.

"I don't think so!"

Mitobe reacted fast, raising his big shield, and blocking the attack from reaching Hyuuga and Izuki. The impact was forceful, pushing the silent fighter onto the two other second year students. When they all looked up, there stood a tall, undeniably handsome, blond man. His golden eyes were narrowed, but a smile of amusement was upon his lips. "Sorry, but that Artifact will belong to us." He chirped in a sing-song tone.

Light blue eyes widened with recognition. "Kise-kun." Kuroko called.

Golden eyes locked on to the light blue haired boy, and then joy and excitement washed over the expression of the blond haired boy. He threw his arms out wide, and wrapped them around the small figure of the blue haired boy. "Kuroko-cchi!" He cried out happily.

' _Chi!?_ ' The members of the Étoile Clan all questioned outrageously in their minds, watching as the blond was rubbing his cheek on top of the head of their light blue haired member. Kuroko kept his deadpanned expression, but there was a hint of annoyance and also slight affection in his eyes. He was able to pry the taller boy off of him, and then he looked up at the familiar male. He turned to his clan members, gesturing to the male next to him. "This is Kise Ryouta."

"A Miraculous General and former member of the Kiseki Clan." Finished Hyuuga, frowning. ' _This can't be a good sign..._ ' He thought. Kagami stood behind the group, and widened her eyes at the sight of the one called a Miraculous General. Excitement sparked within her, and she was slowly grinning.

The blond wrapped an arm around Kuroko's shoulder, and pressed him against his tall frame. "Ah, so you have talked about me to your new Clan, have you? Did you mention how we're the best of friends back in the Kiseki Clan days?" He was bubbling with delight.

"No, and we were not even close, Kise-kun." Kuroko responded in his flat and apathetic tone.

"What!?" He cried, and then clung on to the shorter boy. "How could you say that, Kuroko-cchi? What about all the good times? Come on!" He whined, while rubbing his cheek on top of the blue haired boy's head. Kagami raised a brow, when she noticed the light emotion shining within Kuroko's wide eyes. ' _Despite their small fallout, Kuroko really does miss his friends from Kiseki..._ '

"What are you doing, IDIOT!?"

The blond was suddenly kicked to the ground, Kuroko escaping from the tight hold of his former clansman. The Etoile Clan looked up to see an angry male, dressed in a blue tunic, with light armor on his shins and forearms. He had short, spiky black hair, like their bespectacled captain. The young man was glaring at the blond on the floor. "Our clan is in a pinch, and you go on gallivanting and socializing with our rivals?" He roared, with rage in his midnight blue eyes.

Kise trembled, with tears in his eyes. "Sorry, Sempai! But I did stop them from moving on ahead of us!" He whined.

Hyuuga looked up at the imposing male, though he was shorter than his blond kohai. " _Kasamatsu Yukio, Warrior Class, and captain of Squad_ Θ _(theta), first team in Wahr Clan. He was there at the Summer Tournament last year, but we were not able to fight against his team._ " The voice of Aida informed. The bespectacled male glanced over at the other members gathered around the captain from Wahr. " _Hunter Class, Moriyama Yoshitaka. Guard Class, Kobori Hiroshi. Brawler Class, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro. And Sorcerer Class, Nakamura Shinya._ " Just like their own clan, the opponent clan was diverse in Class types. Hyuuga frowned. " _You can already tell that they will not be an easy opponent to defeat. You need to act fast to get that Artifact at any costs!_ " Aida ordered.

When the two captains locked eyes with one another, the tension rose. No one was able to make a move or a sound as the two Clans were staring each other down. Kasamatsu glared, and threw his arm out. "Kobori!" He shouted

The big male suddenly rushed at the Étoile Clan. "Barrier attack!" A light sheen like glass formed in front of Kobori, and knocked the rival clan off their feet and against the wall.

"Let's go! Get that Artifact!" Kasamatsu barked, and the members started to run into the next room. He turned his head, and glared at the blond male. "You can have your reunion later. That Artifact is our priority, Kise!"

The blond scrambled up to stand, and glanced over at his former clansman. "Sorry, Kuroko-cchi, but I have my orders from my new Clan and team." He waved with a smile, and dashed out of the current room.

Hyuuga cursed, and hurried to stand. "Hurry! We have to stop them!" He ordered, and the members of the Étoile Clan all ran into the next area. They came upon a cross road, with long hallways leading to a dark unknown. They spotted the Clan in taking the path straight ahead. "After them!" The bespectacled male pointed.

"Wait!"

The group all stopped in their run, and turned around to the light blue haired male. Hyuuga looked irritated, but did not argue. Izuki raised a brow. "You know where the real path towards the Artifact is?" He asked.

Kuroko looked at his clan members, and then bowed his head. "I am truly sorry that I have been deceiving you, but the truth is, all along, Kagami-kun has known the way." He admitted.

The red head blinked, and pointed at herself. "Huh? Me?"

Kuroko nodded, and looked up at the tall girl. "I have been observing you closely, and noticed that you would unknowingly look towards a direction, when we are trying to navigate through the mazes of the Dungeon. You have keen instincts, Kagami-kun, and all along you know the right paths within you." He pointed at the girl's heart.

"I always thought it was a coincidence that you would choose the paths that I have been getting these strong feelings from." Kagami replied, furrowing her brows.

A small smile formed on Kuroko's lips. "I know how amazing you are, Kagami-kun. And I trust your judgment in leading us through the Dungeon." He gestured for the girl to go on. "You can find us the Artifact." The others all nodded, also believing in the girl. Hyuuga stepped aside, giving the girl the space and view of the fork they were standing in the middle of.

Kagami felt a bit embarrassed, and rubbed the back of her head. She turned around, and looked at the three paths presented to her. "Here goes nothing." She took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw a vision of going through the maze in fast forward, and finding the artifact. Then it was like she found herself floating above, and seeing the whole maze laid out below her. She could see a line directing through the maze to the end point. She gasped, and opened her eyes. "I know where the exit it." She whispered.

The red head turned to her comrades. "There were two paths leading to the Artifact from this point." She frowned, and looked towards the direction of where they last saw the Wahr Clan disappear. "The way they were going was an option, if they turn down the correct hallway. Plus, the route we'll be taking is less dangerous and not much to bother us in our path. Then the two paths merge into a room before the Heart Chamber."

Hyuuga slapped the girl's back. "Good job." He turned to the others. "We might not know if we'll run into them, but we need to get to that room before them. If we can, we can intercept them at the room before the Heart Chamber." They all nodded. Then the captain turned to the only female in their current team. "Now lead the way, Kagami." The girl nodded, and she ran to the path on the left. The others followed close behind.

Izuki and Mitobe were running behind the group. Hyuuga slowed down a bit, running beside the two other second year students. "That Kagami, always popping up with new surprising abilities. Come on, there has to be a limit, at least." He grumbled, watching the back of the tall red haired male-turned-female.

"You don't know, but she might show a new one any time soon." Izuki joked lightly.

The bespectacled male clicked his tongue. "Don't say that. That kid is really trying to give me early gray hairs."

"I don't know Hyuuga, but you have already been acting like an old man." Izuki joked. The bespectacled male glared and roughly elbowed the boy on his side. "But, Kagami is still only classified as a Freelancer." Izuki mused, while rubbing his side.

" _All the abilities that she has shown still hasn't given me a definite definition of what Class she could be. And as you mentioned, she might spring up more._ " Aida said, only to the three second year students. " _But, I have my suspicions that she could possibly be that rare Class..._ " She murmured.

The second years were peaked with curiosity. "What rare Class is that?" Hyuuga wondered out loud.

There was a brief moment of silence from the other line. " _There are Rank 2 Undead monsters ahead. Be careful._ " Aida suddenly warned.

They all entered into a new room, and as their female leader foresaw, there was a number of zombie looking monsters, moaning and struggling towards the group. Kagami grinned, and her giant sword appeared. "Out of the way!" She roared, and swung her sword across.

The three second year students didn't bring up the topic again, or of Aida avoiding in answering their question about the mysteriousness of their female fighter.

 

* * *

 

Throughout the rush to get to the heart of the Dungeon, the Étoile Clan have only been running into battles with monsters. They even noticed that they have avoided all traps and trials. The senior students were amazed of Kagami's ability, having chosen a route that was the fastest and easiest to get through. After encountering five different chambers, they finally made it to the room where they saw a giant double door, flooding with a strong sense of power radiating from it.

Hyuuga was grinning widely, and slapped the girl's back. "Good job, Kagami!" Then he ran up to the door, placing his hands on both doors. The others all gathered behind their captain.

The light blue haired male was suddenly pulled back, and he looked up at the red head. "You have a cut." The girl stated, pointing at the shallow wound on his upper arm.

"It's okay, it does not hurt much. I did not even notice it." Kuroko reassured.

Frowning, the red head placed her hand over the wound, and a faint glow of white light covered the area and the girl's hand. The cut started to close, and disappear from the pale skin of the light blue haired boy. Kuroko pulled his arm back, expecting it. "You really did not have to waste your energy on it, but I thank you, Kagami-kun."

"It's no problem really." The red head replied as she ruffled the boy's head, and then walked over to her other comrades.

Other than casting fire magic and attacks, Kagami started to exhibit healing abilities, further throwing the whole clan into confusion of which Class the girl could really be. Aida kept tight lipped, and stopped voicing her opinions of the mystery of the girl. All this, and the red head wasn't even aware that the whole clan viewed her as Pandora's Box, unsure of what else the red head might spring up on them as she continued to grow stronger each day she was in OW.

Shaking out of his thoughts, Kuroko glanced behind, and saw the other entrance that would have lead to the same room they were currently. He felt a slight shift beside him, and he looked over to see Kagami frowning, with furrowed brows, looking at the direction of the other dark hallway. "Kagami-kun?"

"They're coming faster than I thought." The red head murmured.

The doors were pushed open, and it revealed the biggest room of the whole Dungeon. The ceilings were high, with strange lights floating at the very top to brighten the chamber. There were two raised platforms with a set of stairs leading to the top. It was about three stories high, and an arched bridge connected them. At the center of that bridge was a pedestal, with the glowing Artifact they were after.

Hyuuga pushed the three first years into the Heart Chamber. They looked back in confusion at their older clansmen. Izuki and Mitobe had their backs to them, with their weapons out, and in defensive stances.

"Sempai?" Kagami questioned with worry.

"You three go on and get that Artifact quickly." Hyuuga ordered sternly. He rolled his shoulders, as his rifle appeared in his hands. "We will hold our rivals back."

The red head shook her head, protesting. "But-"

"Trust in your Sempai, moron!" The bespectacled male shouted, and raised his rifle, aiming at the other dark hallway they did not enter from. Izuki glanced over his shoulder, and smiled. Mitobe smiled encouragingly.

There was a tug at Kagami's wrist, and the red head looked down into wide light blue eyes. "We have our orders, Kagami-kun." Kuroko spoke softly. "They can take care of it." He smiled reassuringly.

The red head exhaled slowly and loudly. Then ran after Kawahara, who already started heading to the Artifact. The light blue haired male looked up at their other clan member. "Kawahara-kun, there is still the Guardian!" He warned.

Slowing down, the taller male looked over his shoulder at Kuroko. "Then, I'll count on you and Kagami." He gave a smile. "Sorry I can't help."

"None sense." Kuroko shook his head. "We will be relying on your support, Kawahara-kun." At the other side, the red head grinned widely, giving a thumbs up. The other male's eyes glistened, and he gave a shy smile while bowing his head.

The grounds started to shake, and there rose a giant ogre like zombie monster, standing between the two platforms. Its head surpassed the height of the bridge, with a black crown sitting on top. It turned its head, seeing the trio running towards the bridge with their target Artifact. The nearly bulging and oozing eye made Kawahara and Kagami flinch at the hideous sight.

" _Guardian Undead King._ " The voice resonated in the heads of the three freshmen. " _It's Rank 3. Elemental attacks will be more effective than just normal attacks. Kawahara-kun, you can also easily weaken it with your Holy Field._ "

Quickly grabbing the hilt of her sword, Kagami readily blazed with fire, and then leaped over at the monster. The taller male stopped in his tracks, just as Kuroko suddenly disappeared from sight. Kawahara held on to his white lance, and then glowed in a white aura.

"Holy Field!"

"Flame Strike!"

 

* * *

 

It wasn't enough that the three second year students were waiting for their rival team to appear. They had more problems added to their plate once their underclassmen ran into the Heart Chamber. They had to fight a horde of lesser Undead monsters.

Hyuuga clicked his tongue and shot one monster right at its forehead, before it dropped dead and turned to dust. He glanced over his shoulder and saw flames being thrown around, and the loud battle cry of their female fighter. "See, nothing to really worry about." Izuki spoke, after waving a hand and causing five monsters to suddenly be paralyzed. "As long as those two are together, they'll be alright."

The captain assigned to the mission clicked his tongue again. "I wasn't worrying about anything." He released a series of shots at the unmoving monsters, straight through their heads.

"Dynamic Power Strike!"

Several Undead burst into dust, and there stood a familiar male that the Étoile Clan has ran into. Following shortly behind were the other members of their rivals, Wahr Clan. The boy in a costume, closely resembling a martial artists, went into a stance, and pumped his fists to his side. "Stop (r)ight the(r)e! You won't be taking that A(r)tifact f(r)om us!" He shouted. The three present members of Étoile had confused looks, trying to decode what the other boy just shouted at them.

A hand suddenly came across and slapped the back of the over enthusiastic boy's head. Kasamatsu glared at his own teammate. "Hayakawa, you idiot! I keep telling you to stop rushing in without a plan! And calm down!"

A big fire was ignited through the partially opened giant double doors, and a horrendous cry followed. The light nearly dimmed the lighting in their area, and a rush of heat brushed in, making the others slightly wince of the intensity. The room started to shake, and dust started to rain down on the group. Hyuuga was smirking, as he adjusted his glasses higher. "Looks like you're too late, Wahr Clan." He shifted his weight, resting the barrel of his rifle on his shoulder.

Kasamatsu only grinned in return. "No, you're the ones that are slow, Étoile Clan."

Gray eyes widened, and frantically looked around the room. Izuki turned back, panicked. "The Miraculous General, Kise Ryouta!"

At the moment of broken attention, the Wahr Clan rushed at the three upperclassmen of Seirin. Mitobe widened his eyes, and acted fast, bracing himself. He threw out his hands in front of him, and a barrier was raised, pushing back their opponents. Hyuuga turned around, and sighed with grateful relief. He stood his ground, with rifle in hand. "Izuki, Mitobe. We must not let them go there and help their clansman." He ordered sternly. The two nodded, and went into defensive stances.

There was a chuckle, and the rest of the Wahr Clan stood back up from the ground. "That guy doesn't even need our help." A tall handsome young man spoke, brushing back his bangs from his dark eyes. He smirked at the Étoile Clan.

Kasamatsu grinned. "As much as I hate to admit it, but Moriyama is right. He is our Ace fighter, after all."

Hyuuga scowled. ' _As long as those two are together..._ ' He raised his rifle once the opposing Clan started to rush at them in a sync formation. Hyuuga held his breath, his finger ready to pull the trigger. ' _Then why is it I have this foreboding feeling?_ '

 

* * *

 

The giant body of the Guardian Undead King monster exploded into glittering dust, just as the three younger members of Étoile Clan lowered their weapons. Kagami rolled her shoulders. "Let's get that Artifact." The two boys nodded, and walked over to the bridge.

Kawahara looked over at the pair, seeing the state they were and the injuries they sported, especially the red haired female. "Are you sure you don't want me to heal you two? Especially you, Kagami, you took most of the damage." He questioned out of concern to his clansmen.

Kagami casually waved a hand, not looking back at her teammate. "Don't worry about it, Kawahara. No need to waste your high class healing spells on these small injuries."

Kuroko looked over at the red head. "They do not seem so small, Kagami-kun. You are practically bleeding at your head." He sighed. "This is the reason why you are an idiot. I am afraid the more injuries to your head, and you leave unchecked, the more of an idiot you will become. I worry about the future of the Étoile Clan."

Red eyes flashed, and the light blue haired boy was suddenly pulled into a headlock. "You bast-"

Two shots were fired, the sound loudly echoing in the huge Heart Chamber. Quickly, the pair was pushed aside, and a barrier was erected. "Watch out!" Kawahara winced, feeling the powerful shots hit against his summoned barrier. His eyes widened when cracks formed on his magical barrier. His hands trembled numbly.

All eyes looked up and found the handsome golden haired boy from the Wahr Clan. He was calmly walking towards them, having climbed the stairs to the platform the three freshmen were standing upon. In his hands were a pair of guns, aimed directly at their group. Kuroko's expression became voided of emotion, as he stared with wide apathetic eyes at the opponent. "Kise-kun."

"Sorry Kuroko-cchi, but I can't allow you to take that Artifact. That belongs to me, you understand, right?" The blond slightly tilted his head, giving a charming smile and a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((And a Miracle has finally appeared!  
> We're finally moving on with the story, and more surprises are going to keep popping up! Hope it won't disappoint you =w=
> 
> It will be a while until I update any of my stories, so please be patient. And thanks for reading!!!))
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>  **Wahr ( _GER. True_ ) Clan**  
> Base of operations: Festigkeit City (GER. solidity)  
> Leader: Unnamed  
> Number of currently active members: 60+  
> Predominant Classes: Warriors  
> Clan Rank: IV  
>  **Squad Θ, Team 1**  
>  Squad Leader:N/A  
> Team Captain: Kasamatsu Yukio  
> Number of active members: 6  
> Predominant Classes: Mixed  
> Team Rank: III
> 
> Class Types  
>  **Warrior** = the type with high strength and sometimes high speed and defense. They rely on various types of weapons, but most are known to be swordsmen. Some are able to have at least one elemental attack. They all also have at least have an immunity to certain magic.  
>  ** _Kasamatsu Yukio_**  
>  Class: Warrior  
> Abilities: double end swords and daggers, high speed, strength and evasion, 5 elemental absorption  
> Costume Ref: http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/6/6d/Inigo_(FE13_Artwork).png/revision/latest?cb=20130524032649  
>  ** _Kise Ryouta_**  
>  Class: Warrior  
> Abilities: N/A  
> Costume Ref: http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/conversehacz/1-1.jpg
> 
> **Guard** = The type with mostly high defense, and sometimes agility and evasion. They are mostly known for their conjured strong shield and barrier spells. They could cast various types of protective spells that hinder certain attacks from harming the person or companions. Some are able to have certain immunities to elemental magic, suppressive magic, mind abilities, or curses. Some could also acquire the ability to absorb certain magic and utilize it to heal wounds and restore their own energy. Guards are able to fight with a big shield, for blocking or also fighting back. But some choose to wield swords, axes or lances.  
>  ** _Mitobe Rinnosuke_**  
>  Class: Guard  
> Abilities: very high defense, barriers and shields, a few suppressive magic immunity, 5 elemental magic absorption, axes  
>  ** _Kobori Hiroshi_**  
>  Class: Guard  
> Abilities: very high defense, barriers and shields, a few suppressive magic immunity, minor healing spells, spear
> 
> **Cleric** = are known for the healing and holy magic. They are able to heal wounds, revive energy, and dispel any suppressive magic, illusionary magic, or time magic. Most are able to use light elemental attacks. Some are able to conjure barriers and shields. Some could also break curses and seals. They are known as the weakest, as they have low defense, strength and speed, but have the biggest amount of energy compared to any other Class, and casting speed and reflexes. The are also great support to the others in dire need. Some choose to wield weapons like: staffs, rods, lances, or spears.  
>  ** _Kawahara Kouichi_**  
>  Class: Cleric  
> Abilities: very high energy storage, healing magic, minor offensive light elemental spells, barriers and shields, lance  
> Costume Ref: http://i.neoseeker.com/neo_image/22343/news/1/priest05_copy_18.jpg


	5. The Golden General of Kiseki Clan

"Sorry Kuroko-cchi, but I can't allow you to take that Artifact. That belongs to me, you understand, right?"

With a grunt, Kagami straightened her back, and set her giant blade in front of her, the point burried within the hard concrete. "So this is one of the infamous Miraculous Generals." The red head narrowed her eyes, but smirked. "As if we'll let you have it! You'll have to get through us, pretty boy." She taunted coyly.

Kise sighed a bit too dramatically, and lowered his guns, before they disappeared from his hands. The blond raked his fingers through his bangs, his expression becoming alluring. "Sorry, but, fighting really pretty girls is not really my thing. How about we make a deal, and make this easy for the both of us? One date with me, and I'll let all your Clan go free with out fighting, for that Artifact." He gave a flirtatious wink towards the tall red head, with a captivating smile.

Eye twitching, rage built up within the red haired girl. "You have got to be kidding me..." She was dangerously gritting her teeth, and her body was trembling.

"Kagami-kun..." Kuroko warned, and reached out his hands to the girl.

Grabbing her giant sword, the red head dash forward at the blond. Her ruby eyes were blazing with fury. "I'll show you what this pretty girl can do, and to not underestimate me, bastard!" Kagami leaped up high, her sword overhead.

Sighing, the light blue haired boy turned to their Clan's official Cleric Class. "Kawahara-kun, while Kise-kun is distracted. Hurry and get that Artifact." Kuroko pulled his hood over his head, and tugged his face mask up. "That idiot. I have told her before, she cannot face a General alone..."

Kawahara took a step back, and watched as Kuroko suddenly disappeared from sight, just as Kagami's sword struck down on the ground. Kise hopped back, and was laughing lightly. Kawahara took in a deep breath, and turned around running as fast as he could to the bridge with the Artifact.

"My, my, such fierceness. That's kind of sexy." Kise lightheartedly teased, and ducked low before getting his head chopped off by the giant sword.

"Shut up! I'm going to smash that stupid pretty face!" Kagami lunged forward with her sword.

"Oh, but you can't do that to my face. It's my best feature, you know." A sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and he blocked the attack from the red haired girl. Kise looked up into the glaring ruby eyes, and smiled. "I really admire your determination, especially from a really pretty girl like you." He winked.

Golden eyes widened, and he pushed the girl off. Kise jumped away twice, dodging the knives that suddenly were raining down on him. He pouted. "Kuroko-cchi..." He turned when he heard the girl's battle cry, and used his sword again to block her attack with her bigger sword. The two ended up trying to overpower one another, with their swords locked. ' _I'll admit, she's strong._ ' From the corner of his eye, he spotted the other member of the Étoile Clan, already on the bridge and a few feet away from the prize.

"Reflection Barrier!"

A glass like wall suddenly rose up around the blond male, and expanded, pushing the red head back. Then knives were bounced back, and Kuroko had to dodge his own weapons that were aimed at his former clansmen. Kise glanced up, with a smug smirk, and then turned his head towards the bridge. "Dungeon Clan Battle!" He shouted.

Inches away from reaching the glowing object, Kawahara was suddenly repelled from the Artifact, and a semi-transparent light green barrier surrounded it. The Cleric of Etoile groaned, and looked up to see the shield in front of him. He gritted his teeth, inwardly cursing and feeling guilty for not reaching it on time.

Kagami landed beside her partner, and frowned. "What just happened?" She hissed.

Wide light blue eyes bore on to the golden haired male in front of him. "When two or more Clans are fighting for the Artifact, they can claim a 'Dungeon Clan Battle'." He explained to the gender-changing Rookie. "Who ever wins the battle, wins the Artifact."

Slightly tilting his head, Kise raised a brow in amusement. "A Rookie?" He smiled widely. "This will be fun!" He turned and looked directly at his former clansmen from Kiseki. "Then, she doesn't know that in Dungeon Clan Battles, it is a fight to the death. Until all members of the opposing Clan is wiped out, and the winning Clan takes the prize and becomes victorious!"

Kuroko winced, and frowned. His fists were clenched tightly. Kagami's eyes slowly widened, the words dawning down on her. The light blue haired boy glanced over at his partner, and chewed the inside of his cheek. "Kagami-kun." He called out lightly to the girl beside him. "Remember I told you that you were not at the same level as any member of the Miraculous Generals?" The red head beside him flinched. Kuroko looked back at the blond, who was smiling lightheartedly, covering the hidden emotions that he knew that the tallest male had when in battle. "Kise-kun has grown rapidly over the year, and I do not know what new abilities he may exhibit, even though he is a Warrior Class. But I know that we may have a chance, if we fight together."

Shakily releasing a breath, the girl closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them. Her eyes narrowed at Kise, as she tightened her grip on the handle of the sword. "I know." She murmured.

"Are you done with lesson time with the Rookie, Kuroko-cchi?" Kise changed his stance, and his sword appeared in his hand. "I really want to get this over with quickly, you know?" The blond perked up and smiled widely. "Oh I know! Let's raise the stakes here! When I win, how about you come join me in Wahr Clan, Kuroko-cchi?" He looked over at the two other members that were in the same clan as his former clansmen. "We could help you use your powers to your full potential. A small little weak clan like the one you joined couldn't possibly help you in mustering all that power I know you have, Kuroko-cchi. It's such a waste." He sighed.

A hand quickly prevented the tall red haired female from a rage attack from the words the blond spoke. Kuroko frowned deeply, and narrowed his eyes at the blond. "I am sorry, Kise-kun. But I will have to decline." He responded as calmly and in his usual flat tone.

Kise shrugged his shoulders. "I tried." Then he fell back into a stance with his sword. "Let's get this over with." In a blink of an eye, the blond disappeared from sight.

Kagami widened her eyes, and turned around just as blades loudly clashed. She looked over and found Kuroko standing in front of Kawahara, who was also caught off guard. ' _So fast..._ ' Kise was struggling to overpower the smaller male with his sword, as the light blue haired boy was pushing back in all his might with his daggers in his hands.

With a roar, Kagami went for the attack with her giant sword overhead. She leaped up, and swung down hard at where the blond was. Kise disappeared from sight, and the spot that he was just standing on caved in by the impact, causing both Kuroko and Kawahara to lose some of their balance. ' _Her strength... it increased all of a sudden._ ' Kuroko silently observed.

The red head raised her head, and turned around, glaring. "Battle to the death? No one is going to die on my watch!" She growled.

With a hum of amusement, Kise was smiling. "You know, I was going to wait until your Cleric was gone, but I think I'll get rid of you first." He raked his fingers through his hair, and then went back into a stance with his sword. "Looks like I'll have to break my promise of fighting really pretty girls." He sighed.

"Don't underestimate me, idiot!" Rushing forward, the red head took a swing with her giant sword.

Kuroko was inwardly cursing as he watched the red head trying to hit the blond with her sword. ' _She is losing focus again, and allowing her anger to take control._ ' He turned to his fellow clansmen. "Kawahara-kun."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Hurry and go help Kagami." The boy waved a hand, and a barrier was raised around him. "We all believe in you two." He smiled reassuringly. The blank faced boy nodded, and then disappeared from sight.

Kagami was suddenly pushed aside, missing from being hit by the bullets aimed at her. The red head turned her head, glaring into wide light blue eyes. "Kagami-kun, stop falling for his taunts. He is just trying to rile you and make you lose focus."

The red head stepped back as he partner threw knives at the direction of the blond. She cupped a hand over her bleeding wound on her upper arm. Kagami gritted her teeth, with her eyes narrowed towards the blond. "I won't let anyone die." She whispered firmly.

Light blue eyes softened for a second. "Kagami-kun, when people 'die' in OW, they just get kicked out from here, and are not allowed to return until about a month in Earth time." He murmured, just as he separated from the red head and dodged the gun shots.

Pulling her hand away from her upper arm, the wound now closed, Kagami roughly gripped her sword with two hands, clenching them tightly. "I won't let anyone die!" She hissed through her clenched teeth. She maneuvered her sword in time to use it as a shield against the gun shots. She pushed through with her sword as a shield, running towards the blond. With a battle cry, she swung her weapon across.

Kise leaped away, watching as the spot below sink in to pieces. He laughed with amusement, and looked up at the girl. "Come on now, is that all you got?" He called out coyly. Then he raised his guns and rapidly fired at the red head. Kagami used her sword again to shield the attack, and felt the power through the shots, as it was pushing her back inch by inch.

With a deep breath, Kuroko lowered his head. "I guess... I will not be playing any more." He whispered. A dark aura slowly exuded from the small stature, and grew to surround him.

Ruby eyes widened, and turned towards Kuroko with surprise. Kise raised a brow, and his eyes glittered. "This is great! Kuroko-cchi wants to challenge me for real now! I have been waiting for this since we first saw each other for the first time since Teikou!" He was smiling widely, throwing his arms out. "Kuroko-cchi is the only challenge for me here!" Then he lowered his eyes, a dangerous glint in his eye. "I'll get rid of them. I'll get rid of all that stand in my way." He muttered darkly, sending shivers down the red haired female and their clan Cleric.

Everything happened to quickly. Kuroko and Kise both seemingly disappeared in a blink of an eye. Kagami barely gasped and turned around just to see the two locked with their blades, and then disappearing again, only for there to be random knives being embedded against the stone floors. Then rounds of gun shots were fired, barely missing the other two Etoile Clan members. Kagami's breath hitched, trying to keep up in watching the two former Kiseki Clan members. ' _This is a battle between Miraculous Generals?_ ' Her hand reached up, clutching to the area above her heart. ' _Isn't there anything I could do to help?_ ' She gritted her teeth, and her shoulders slightly trembled. ' _I... I have a horrible feeling..._ '

Kuroko came in view, standing a few feet away from his red haired partner. The dark aura around him grew intense. He lifted his hand, and the darkness gathered around his hand. The shadows under him were being sucked into the palm of his hand. "Shadow Wave."

Kise ran around, dodging the reaches of the shadow attack. One was able to wrap around his ankle, and he hissed. With his sword, he cut away, and leaped further back. Soon he started to glow in a golden aura, and sparks of static surrounded him. He threw his hand out. "Static Shock!"

The shadow spell was overpowered by the bolts of electricity coursing towards the three Étoile members. Kuroko and Kagami dashed away to the side. Kawahara braced himself, and felt the attack slam against the barrier around him. He gritted his teeth, and was pushed off balance, throwing him against the post of the end of the bridge. Then another round of currents of electricity was released, and a wall of darkness from the shadows of the light blue haired boy rose to dispel it.

To the side, red eyes watched in frustration and slight fear. She could see the growing exhaustion present on Kuroko, as he was nearly heaving for air. The boy was slowing down in his movements, and cuts were appearing, tearing through his dark attire and revealing pale glimpses of his skin with blood. ' _Kuroko..._ ' Shaking her head, Kagami raised her chin, and firmly held the hilt of her sword. Eyes narrowed with determination, she rushed forward towards her partner. "Kuroko!"

Turning his head, his eyes widened in surprise to see the incoming dagger from his opponent. He was too slow to react and block the incoming weapon. But then it hit against an semi-transparent barrier, protecting the light haired boy. Kuroko looked up in surprise, and glanced over at Kawahara to thank him. The other boy's reaction caught him off guard, as Kawahara looked just as surprised, looking at his hands to figure out where that barrier came from. ' _He did not do it...?_ '

Skidding to a stop directly in front of Kuroko, the thin white aura around the girl dissolved. Kagami lifted her sword defensively, glaring hard at the blond opponent. "I won't allow you to touch any of my friends, any more." She growled.

Kise chuckled behind his hand, and combed his fingers through his hair. "Really, you amuse me." He lifted his head, looking directly into the girl's wildly glaring eyes. "But the truth is that you are no match for me. Only Kuroko-cchi is worth my time, and he is only showing half his potential as a Chosen." He raised his arm and pointed directly at the light blue haired boy that was standing slightly behind the red haired girl. "The only drawbacks of his great abilities is that it consumes a lot of his energy, tiring him out easily. Plus, he's too concentrated in protecting both you and that Cleric of yours, so he can't freely use those special abilities I know Kuroko-cchi has." His sword appeared in his hand, and he twirled it easily in his hand, like it was a toy. "I could easily get rid of the distractions, but Kuroko-cchi has to be so stubborn." He pouted.

The blond male shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "Why you chose to be in a no name Clan, is way beyond me. You could have gone to better Clans, Kuroko-cchi. And my deal is still out there. Come with me, Kuroko-cchi!" He offered out his free hand towards the light blue haired boy.

"Shut up." Kagami hissed. Then she snapped open her eyes, and suddenly disappeared from view, catching even her own teammates off guard at the sudden action. The red head appeared behind the blond, with her giant sword ready for the attack. Kise reacted quickly, and blocked the sword with his own. He looked up with mild surprise, into the girl's eyes. Kagami was barely overpowering the blond. "Etoile is not a no name Clan! It's the best one, and Kuroko and I made a promise that we will bring it to number 1 of the whole OW!" She shouted, and pushed forward, a thin aura slowly radiating out from her. "We made a promise to help each other achieve our own goals. We made a promise, and I won't allow you to take that away from us!" A blare of raging red aura came out from the girl, and she roared ferociously.

Kise widened his eyes when he saw the tiny crack on his sword appear. He gritted his teeth, and charges of static started to spark around him. "Static Shock!" The currents of electricity surged out from the blond, pushing Kagami back. The girl used her sword to shield the brunt of the attack, and was dragged along the floor, struggling to push back against the attack.

A smile formed on Kuroko lips, and he bowed his head slightly. He was panting with exhaustion, and his body felt numb. Struggling to stand up straighter, his eyes narrowed with determination. His hand clenched tightly. "I need to help my Light." Then he vanished from sight.

 

* * *

 

At the entrance of the Heart Chamber stood the two groups of older teens. Since the shout for a Dungeon Clan Battle, an invisible shield blocked off anyone from entering the Heart Chamber. The rest that were left out all put a stop in their struggle to help out their younger teammates, and turned to watch the whole battle of a titled Miraculous General against the three new recruits of the Etoile Clan. They were all lost of words and with fascinated awe, especially when the Shadow of the Etoile Clan went against the blond male of the Wahr Clan and showed powers that he has never revealed to them yet.

However, more and more, the members of Etoile became in awe as they watched their Rookie member fought. It seemed that her abilities had no bounds, especially when she was fighting hard for the name of the Clan she stood by, and the light haired male that chose to be her partner in battles. Hyuuga shook his head from the doubt and feeling of anxiousness he had since the day started. ' _And she reveals another surprising ability of summoning barrier spells... what more can Kagami do?_ ' He wondered.

They watched as the golden haired male from Wahr was leaping around, and running up any impossible and vertical surfaces. It was almost like he was gliding. But then there was Kagami, leaping at incredible heights, as if she was soaring through the air, unlike the blond opponent. As she was descending down towards the blond, Kise was firing round after round of bullets, only for it to be blocked by the girl's barrier spell, with her hand out stretched in front of her. She maneuvered in the air, raising her blade above her head with a loud battle cry.

There was a big explosion, and a thick cloud of smoke rolled over the Heart Chamber. It hit against the barrier that prevented the other Clan members from entering the room. They all inched closer with anticipation, wondering what happened. When the smoke cleared, they all couldn't help but allow their jaws to drop. One of the raised platforms collapsed into rubble, and the bridge to the Artifact fell to pieces. The Artifact, though, was still floating in place, with the pedestal floating in the air, and far from arms reach. Kuroko seemed to have appeared, standing at the opposite platform, with Kawahara, both also shocked at the scene. The brunet actually lost his balance from the impact.

"When did she get that much stronger?" Hyuuga murmured questioningly, mostly to himself.

"With Kagami, I believe her powers are connected to her emotions." Izuki replied, carefully watching the whole battle. "But with that, she in turn can become blind and out of focus... maybe even... dangerous..." Big flames erupted in the room, nearly engulfing half of the room, reaching as high to the ceiling. Then electricity sparked out, canceling the raging fire. But then a wave of a dark attack came at the blond, pushing him back from the perfect duo team's nearly synchronized attacks.

" _But, I think that with Kuroko there... he might be a buffer._ " Aida spoke to her Clansmen.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko and Kagami left no openings, keeping Kise on his toes. After every slash from the female's sword, knives would follow. When an attack came from the blond, the red head would throw her new found ability of summoning a barrier. Though Kise claimed that Kuroko had low stamina, and would in no time run out of energy, the light blue haired boy felt his energy regenerating. Somehow, in the back of Kuroko's mind, he knew that his energy regeneration was not coming from their Clan resident Cleric. More and more, as he fought beside the gender changing red head, he felt hope as Kise looked to be slowing down, slipping up in his defense and attacks.

After deflecting the rain of bullets aimed at his female partner, Kuroko glanced over at Kagami, and swore he could see a faint glow of glittering lights surrounding her. ' _A Light... the light of hope..._ ' He inwardly thought.

"Flame Attack!" "Shadow Wave!"

The two attacks nearly melded together, and hit the blonde, causing more explosions. Kuroko was slightly panting, having felt that the power he released was more intense than before. ' _This increase of power..._ ' He glanced over at the red head, who was slightly hunched forward, sword still in her hands. She was also panting slightly, and she wiped the back of her wrist over her forehead. ' _...What are you really, Kagami-kun...?_ ' He wondered, though not in a negative way. ' _More than just a Light..._ '

"Mimicry: Flame Attack!"

Pairs of eyes widened at the cry of attack, and were slow to react when a blazing sword attack came out from the cloud of smoke. Kagami and Kuroko were thrown back, and separated. The light blue haired boy was hissing when the fires burned, and a deep cut opened across his abdomen. He looked up to find Kise with his sword smoking, and he was hunched over, panting. The blond looked up, a deep frown marred his handsome face, with narrowed eyes directly at the duo. ' _It's been awhile. Kise-kun is angry._ ' Kuroko thought, tingling with anticipation towards his former clansman.

Kagami was shocked that her own attack was used against her. She slowly exhaled, and placed a glowing hand over the cut on her abdomen. "What was that...?" She murmured mostly to herself, and stood up straight, observing the state the blond was at. She felt a bit of pride that she and Kuroko was able to land hits on one of the claimed Miraculous Generals.

Kise slightly tilted his head, brushing a few bangs from his golden eyes. "Oh, that? Kuroko-cchi didn't tell you about my own special ability?" He went into a stance, reminiscent to the one that Kagami usually had with her sword. The blond's sword appeared, and he held it with both his hands.

Kuroko narrowed his eyes, and frowned. "They call him a 'Copy Cat', and that he could copy abilities that he sees for the first time." The boy felt his wounds close, and he looked over, knowing this time that it was his Clan's Cleric. He gave a grateful nod towards Kawahara. "It is what makes Kise-kun one of the Miraculous Generals, as it is an ability that no one else exhibits in OW, in records."

"So, want a taste of your own medicine?" The blond coyly taunted, and then dashed forward.

Kagami widened her eyes, and threw a barrier spell, blocking the attack. The red head lifted her hand, and released her fire magic. "Blaze Blast!" A powerful stream of fire burst towards the blond.

A hand was raised. "Reflection Barrier!" The fire attack was reflected back by the mirror like shield spell the blond summoned. Kagami raised her sword, and was pushed back by her own flaming attack. She gritted her teeth, her back nearly touching the wall behind her. "Mimicry: Blaze Blast!"

Kuroko widened his eyes when his view of Kagami was covered by a big explosion, with flames rising up high towards the ceiling. ' _Kagami-kun!_ ' He quickly dashed towards the blond. Golden eyes caught a glimpse of him, and rounds of bullets were unleashed towards the light blue haired boy. Kuroko raised his hand, and a wall of shadow deflected the fired shot. He kept making his way towards his partner, throwing some knives at his former clansmen. Kuroko slowly widened his eyes as he carefully watched the blond. ' _what... what is that...?_ '

The smoke cleared, and Kagami dashed out towards the blond, black ash marking her exposed skin from the attack. Blades clashed, and Kise and the red haired female's blades were locked, struggling to push back one another. That was when it became noticeable, a thin film of a black aura surrounding the blond. Kagami slightly widened her eyes. ' _That... that's not normal... it unlike Kuroko's dark aura..._ ' She felt her heart clench, and a shiver crawl up through her body.

"You're really starting to annoy me." The blond spoke in a chilling low tone. Currents of electricity began to surround Kise, and the color was no longer golden like before. "Static Shock!"

Kagami was hit hard by the dark bolts of electric power, throwing her hard against the stone walls of the Heart Chamber. Kuroko nearly felt his heart stop when he saw the red head sail across the air, and her agonizing cry of pain. "Kagami-kun!"

 

* * *

 

No one missed the change in the titled Miraculous General. Not only did his usual demeanor change, but also the color of his usual golden aura. The spectators all shuddered, feeling the coldness radiating from the blond. Kasamatsu most of all was not liking the way his kohai was fighting, like it was changing him to some kind of mindless killer.

He gritted his teeth, punching the barrier that block his way into the Heart Chamber. "What is going on?" He growled under his breath.

The older members of the Etoile Clan were practically holding in their breath as they watched their Rookie member, with the mysterious and silent Assassin fight. They could all see it, and feel it that the battle was becoming more and more intense. Though it looked like that it was very evident, since the beginning, who would win the Clan Battle, the three older members were tightly pulling on that string of hope that their younger members would win.

Hyuuga knocked his fist on the barrier, his eyes narrowed. "Come on. You have to pull through. Show us what other miracle you guys can pull off." He murmured. Izuki and Mitobe, who heard their team captain, were inwardly praying for the same thing.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko was hunched over, panting hoarsely. The bout of energy that was given to him before was slowly draining away, especially when the way that Kise started to fight, with that cold dark aura, became harsh and more painful. He felt his left arm becoming numb after that electrical attack. ' _Kise-kun has never shown that kind of power before... no... he got worse..._ ' His eyes saddened, watching the blond recklessly throwing electrical attack at the red head. ' _What happened to you and the others? How did you end this way?_ '

Kagami was running around and leaping in the air at great heights, dodging the thrown elemental attacks. To the others, it was almost like she was soaring, as her high jumps allowed her to briefly float in the air. The red head was able to touch the ceiling, and used the leverage to push her towards the blond with her sword in hand, adding more speed in her attack. The blades clashed again, and they were glaring heatedly at one another, pushing forward as hard at they could. Embers and static were surrounding the two, before they were thrown away from one another. Kagami skidded to a stop beside the light blue haired boy. Kuroko watched the girl as she was also hoarsely panting.

"Kuroko... I don't know what else to do..." She was heaving for air, her shoulders rising and falling in her slightly slumped posture. "That aura... I don't like it... and... we need to stop him at any cost. I don't care for that Artifact any more." Kagami said, cautiously watching the blond warily.

Closing his eyes, Kuroko bowed his head. "I understand... and we did make a promise that we would stop them together."

A hand was offered out towards the boy, catching Kuroko off guard. He looked up at Kagami, who still had her eyes trained on to their opponent. "We are going to need an attack that will stop him, here and now." She said calmly. Kuroko blinked, and looked down at the hand, then back up at the girl. Light blue eyes slowly widened, witnessing the calming and small thin film of a white aura surrounding the girl. There was a determined glint, shining in the girl's ruby eyes.

' _Somehow... when I see Kagami-kun like this... I trust that things will be alright._ ' Kuroko thought, as he took the girl's hand, and locked his fingers with hers. ' _It is like... I know that she will show us another surprise that can hopefully turn things around..._ ' He felt a gentle warmth suddenly surround him once he made contact with Kagami's hand.

Everything became like time stopped, and everything was focused on the two that were fiercely glowing in their respective auras of darkness and light. A big magic circle appeared below them, and they were moving to adjust their positions, standing face to face with one another. Kuroko felt as if his body was moving on its own, and his left hand was raised out, his palm facing the direction of Kise. In front of her, Kagami's right hand was raised, her palm directed at the blond. Then their auras blared out, trying to meld together. "Shadow Flare!" The both shouted simultaneously.

A blast of dark flames shot out from the two, and was aimed directly at the blond. Kise widened his eyes, and raised his hands out. "Reflection Barrier!" The shield was raised just in time, but the intensity of the attack was pushing him back. Kise gritted his teeth, struggling to hold up his defense. But then it shattered, and it hit him head on. A big explosion followed, and the scream of pain was drowned out.

There were loud gasps at the entrance of the Heart Chamber, witnessing such attack. The Wahr Clan were calling out to their youngest member, while the Etoile Clan were speechless at the powerful attack that the light and shadow duo just unleashed. The smoke in the chamber started to thin out, and they saw that the Etoile duo were still standing.

Fukuda was coughing to clear his lungs form the smoke. He was on the floor, having lost his balance when the attack hit and the grounds shook from the impact. He looked up, and was watching the duo with just as much shock as his sempai. ' _No way... that was a merged spell!_ ' He found Kuroko on his knees, heaving for air from exhaustion, but he was carefully eyeing the spot he last saw Kise standing. Kagami was beside him, also clearly tired and panting hard, still standing with her giant sword as a crutch to keep her up.

The whole area was nearly razed to the ground, with the two high platforms no longer standing whole. The Artifact, however, was left untouched, floating up high and glowing. Kise was found lying with the rubble, visibly not unharmed. His attire was no longer clean and with some torn and shredded spots. His hair was streaked with some ash, and out of place. He had cuts and splotches of blood nearly decorating his perfect skin.

"Kise!" The shouts of the members of Wahr Clan could be heard, calling out to their fallen comrade. Everyone was carefully watching the blond male.

There was a twitch from Kise's hand that everyone saw, and it was like they were all holding their breath. Kagami tensed on her spot, slowly moving to prepare for defending her fellow clansmen. Then laughter could be heard from the spot the Miraculous General was lying.

Kuroko furrowed his brows, hearing an unfamiliarity with the laugh from the blond. He couldn't help but shudder at the feeling he was getting. "Something... something does not feel right..." He whispered.

Kise sat up, some rubble rolled off around him. He threw his head back, laughing almost hysterically. He was struggling to get up, still laughing, as if he was no longer sane. Kuroko and Kagami stiffened in their spots, watching the blond. The aura around the blond became darker, and it was slowly radiating out widely. The red head's breath hitched at the coldness and empty feeling she was getting from Kise.

Throwing his hand out, Kise looked up, his eyes wide and a big grin on his lips. "I haven't had this much fun for the longest time!" He shouted out with a malicious glee glittering in his eyes. "I have never lost in a battle before." He said in a softer tone. Then he slumped forward, his eyes suddenly glaring at the duo. It caught both Kagami and Kuroko off guard when they saw his golden eyes bled to black. "And I never plan to lose to anyone." He growled in a low and cold tone.

A pair of blades appeared in the blond's hands, and he suddenly disappeared in a blink of an eye. Kagami gasped when she felt herself get pushed away from her spot, and heard the sound of flesh being pierced through. Her ruby eyes widened with dread and shock. "K-Kuroko..."

In front of her was the shorter male, with both blades of Kise, cleanly pierced through Kuroko's abdomen. The boy choked, and blood was spilling from the corners of his mouth. The blades were harshly pulled out, and the boy roughly coughed out blood. "KUROKO!!!!" Kagami shouted in horror, reaching out to catch the light haired boy.

She guided him down, falling to her knees, and holding up the boy's head. "Kuroko!" She kept calling out, her eyes stinging, and her heart tightly being squeezed. "Kuroko!"

Wincing, the light blue haired boy opened one eyes, looking up at the pale red haired girl. "I... I was able to... save Kagami-kun... on time..." He flinched with pain, his body shivering. Behind the red head, he saw Kise threw his head back, laughing hysterically again. The dark aura radiating wildly. Kuroko's gaze became sorrowful, then he looked back up at the frozen girl. "I guess it will be awhile... until we... fulfill our promise... Kagami-kun." His breaths were now becoming short, and his whole body numb.

Rudy eyes widened, and Kagami threw her head back towards the ceiling, screaming. A strong shock wave burst out from the girl. Kise looked up, caught off guard when he found the red head suddenly in front of him. He was not even prepared when the girl punched him at the face. He was thrown far, flying across the other side of the room, and slamming hard against the stone walls. Shaking his head to regain his senses, Kise looked up to see the red head rushing at him at break neck speeds. He quickly rolled away, just as the giant sword swung hard at the spot he was just lying on milliseconds before.

 

* * *

 

No words could describe the scenes unfolding, as the battle seemed to have take a different turn. Behind his glasses, Hyuuga furrowed his brows, watching their red haired Rookie fighter. "Kagami changed... the way she is fighting now... it's..."

"Like she is dancing, right?" Izuki continued. "She moves with fluidity, more confidence and grace, unlike the usual Kagami that we know, who is brash and thoughtless with her moves, moving based on her emotions and her short temper... but now she is more focused, faster... and..."

"She shows no emotions and is more calm..." Hyuuga frowned. ' _More than a buffer... Kuroko seemed to be more of a catalyst... what happened? What are you really, Kagami?_ '

Less shocked and horrified than his team, Kasamatsu was more worried about the growing dark aura that was surrounding the youngest member of their team. ' _Has he always had that kind of power?_ ' He closed his eyes, remembering when he was first introduced to their team. ' _It doesn't feel right... this can't be the same Kise we know of... no... this one is a mindless bloodthirsty monster...'_ He opened his eyes, watching how the blond was attacking viciously and out of control.

 

* * *

 

With all attention focused between the red head and the blond fighters, Kawahara was carefully crawling his way towards the bleeding Assassin. He was able to reach the light haired boy, without detection. He found Kuroko breathing shallowly on his back. The Cleric reached out his hands, and placed them over the gashing wound on the smaller boy's abdomen. "Hold on, Kuroko." He whispered, and his hands started to glow in a silver light. "Heal." He whispered, and the boy became encased in the silver light. Kawahara watched as the big wound closed, and color seemed to return to the light haired boy.

Kuroko slowly fluttered his eyes, regaining his sensation and conscientiousness. He looked up and saw the relieved expression of his clansmen. "Kawahara-kun..." He slowly turned his head, and saw Kagami and Kise battling. The red head swung her sword, and hit the blond, who tried to buffer it with his barrier. But he was thrown hard across the room. "Kagami-kun..."

When Kise's back hit the wall, a magic circle suddenly appeared behind him. The blond widened his eyes, seemingly stuck against the wall. He was viciously struggling free, but was not able to pulls his arms or legs away. He started to hiss and growl in an almost animalistic way, the darkness distorting his handsome appearance.

Before him appeared the red haired female. The giant sword was released, and fell to the ground beside her. There was no change in her calm demeanor, and her gaze looked to be in a trance. The girl closed her eyes, and placed her palm over her heart. A white aura surrounded her, and there was a flash of light between her hand and her chest. Kagami pulled her hand away from her chest, and there was a ball of light floating over her palm. She curled her fingers around it, and it started to grow out and form into an intricately designed white gold rapier. It was glittering with dazzling light.

Ruby eyes slowly opened, and changed to silver. With the rapier in hand, she twirled it around, and went into a stance, pointing the thin blade towards the blond boy.

Snapping out from awe, Kuroko struggled to push himself up with his elbows. He was still weak and drained with exhaustion. "K-Kagami-kun! Stop!" He chocked. ' _This is unlike Kagami-kun. He wouldn't want to intentionally 'kill' someone!_ '

At a distance, the rest of the Wahr Clan were shouting and pounding against the barrier. They all knew that the only female was going to give the finishing blow, and the battle would finally end.

Unfazed by the shouts and calls, Kagami swiftly lunged her rapier directly at Kise's heart. After a heartbeat of silence and stillness, the blond started to scream out in agony. He started to thrash his head, tightly clenching his fists till his nails cut through his flesh.

"Kagami-kun!" More shouts were pitched for the red head to stop, both from the light blue haired boy and the Wahr Clan.

Slowly, the red head kept pushing the thin blade deeper into the boy's chest, ignoring the cries of protest and the screams. Then something dark burst out from the chest of the blond silencing everyone that were witnessing the scene before them. It was like a black cloud that swirled around the red head, and reached out above. More kept coming out, until the black cloud grew bigger, hovering above Kagami. When no more came out, the rapier disappeared into glittering lights, and Kise's screams stopped. The blond's head fell to his chest, unconscious.

The girl took a step back, and threw her hands out. The black cloud began to swirl around the girl, like a harsh tempest around her. Then it plunged into the girl's chest, over her heart. Kagami struggled to remain standing, until all the darkness that was released from the blond went all in the girl. Then everything became silent when the darkness was gone from sight.

Kagami gasped, and then fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. She gritted her teeth, clutching tightly to her own arms. She bent over, her forehead pressed against the stone floor, curling up in intense pain.

Everyone could hear sounds of something being loudly torn. From the girl's back, there were two protrusions forcing its way out from the shoulder blades. With a loud cry, large white feathery wings tore out from the girl's back, glowing with brilliant white light. As soon as the magnificent wings came out, it unfurled and burst into feathers. The wings were gone, as if it never came out from Kagami's back. No one spoke a word, nor moved a muscle. They all held their breath at what just occurred in front of them seconds ago.

Soon, the magic circle behind Kise disappeared. There was slight movement, and Kagami shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees. She heard rustling, and looked up in time to see the blond sliding down the wall, and falling over to his side. Quickly the girl caught Kise in her arms, and lead him down, as she cradled his head close to her. Weakly, Kagami raked her fingers through the boy's bangs. "I finally found you." She murmured faintly.

She leaned down, and her lips connected with Kise's. Those watching all choked, snapping out of their stupor of the strangest and shocking incident. Just as the blond fluttered open his eyes, he saw silver change to ruby, before the pair of eyes rolled back, and the red head passed out, falling on top of his chest. Kise sat up, looking down at the girl with confusion. "Huh?" He held on to her, and blinked his eyes, looking around him.

A shadow loomed over him, and Kise cautiously looked up, seeing a pair of big and intense sky blue eyes boring deeply at him. "Eh? Kuroko-cchi...?" He slowly spoke still disoriented and confused. "What happened?" Carefully watching his former clansmen, he froze in place noticing the chilling and intimidating aura radiating from the light blue haired boy.

"I don't know what's going on!?" Fear erased the blond's initial bewilderment.

 

* * *

 

The sky was clear, and the sun beat down harshly upon the two Clan members, as they stood in the middle of the arid desert. The magnificent Dungeon disappeared, just as the Artifact hidden in the Heart of the structure was taken. The proud captain of Team 1 from Squad Theta of Wahr Clan declared the Etoile Clan the winners of the Dungeon Clan Battle and admitted defeat.

Kasamatsu stood before his clansmen, facing their rival clan, with his usual cool composure. "I may not really understand what just happened," he glanced over at the titled Miraculous General that was part of his team. "I'm grateful that this big baby didn't 'die' in the battle." He looked at the sleeping red haired female being carried by the rival clan's silent Guard class. "I don't know why, but I feel as if we owe that girl for that strange but amazing miracle she pulled."

Hyuuga rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah... she's just full of surprises really..." He replied.

Kise was cautiously behind his senior, looking like a kicked puppy with tears at the corner of his eyes. "Kuroko-cchi, why do you hate me!? We meet after a year, and you're giving me the cold shoulder? Please tell me what I did! I don't know what happened!" He whimpered.

Kasamatsu looked over his shoulder, up at the tall blond male. "You really don't know what you did? How you fought against Kuroko and the girl for the Artifact? How you were acting weird with those strange dark powers?"

The blond shook his head, furrowing his brows. "None of that... All I can remember was entering the Dungeon... then that's it..." Silently the elder members were perplexed, trying to figure out what was going on and what happened moments ago.

"However, it's weird... I feel lighter... like this heaviness and coldness that I didn't even know was there for a long time was taken away." Kise spoke, placing a hand over his heart. He turned and looked directly at Kuroko. Then his eyes glanced over at the sleeping red haired girl. ' _They all said I was beaten by her... Kagami was it?_ '

His cheeks suddenly became warm. He bowed his head, trying to hide his suddenly burning face. "And, before I woke up, I had this really strange dream... like this angel telling me to wake up and..." He lightly touched his tingling lips.

There was a loud, almost dramatic sigh, cutting Kise's train of thought. Moriyama turned around, crossing his arms. "So annoying. You're so lucky to be so popular with the girls, even getting kissed by a beautiful red head who beat you up..."

"HUH!?" The blond jumped back, his face brightly red. "What!? I didn't kiss anyone!" The blond suddenly froze, and shuddered. He dared to turn his head, and he saw a dark and dangerous aura radiating from a small light blue haired boy. Kise squirmed under the gaze that looked like it wanted to twist his neck.

"If you'll all excuse me." A female voice suddenly spoke.

All attention turned to the side to see an image statically appear. Then Aida was found, taking a step forward, and her appearance whole and real. She smiled at her clansmen, and then turned towards the captain of the team from Wahr Clan. She bowed her head respectfully, as the other boy did the same to the girl. She straightened and had a serious expression. "I would like to discuss about what happened in the Dungeon today, between your team and my Clan."

All brows raised with interest and attentiveness. The brunette gave a sweeping gaze of the tall boys in front of her. "I would like to make a pact with just your team to have this incident be kept a secret."

Steal blue eyes narrowed. Kasamatsu crossed his arms, slightly inclining his head to one side. "Meaning we are not to report what occurred in the Dungeon." He stated.

Aida nodded, and glanced over at their only active female fighter in her Clan. "It is evident that what happened today was not an ordinarily common occurrence here in the Other World, and we could all agree with that." There was some nods with agreement among the two Clans. "And for the safety of our own Clan member, I won't allow you to report anything that has anything to do with Kagami." Hyuuga and the other Etoile members turned their heads to their Leader.

The brunette crossed her arms and closed her arms. "No one understands what happened, not our Clan nor yours. Not even your own member remembers any of it." Aida opened her eyes and stared at Kise.

"So, you're saying that we just forget everything, like none of what we witnessed happened at all? And, because Kise doesn't remember, then conveniently it could be played off that what happened in the Dungeon did not occur." Kasamatsu frowned, not really understanding the reason the female wanted them to be tight lipped about it. "And what do we get out of it? We already declared defeat with you, and you got your Artifact."

Hyuuga stepped up, looking up at the respectable older male. "You said that you owe us, no Kagami. So owe it to her to keep what happened a secret, especially with Kagami." The bespectacled male adjusted his glasses. "To be honest, we all do not know all there is to know about her either. That show earlier is all new to us, and we're all just discovering all the abilities she has. We need to make some sense to it."

Aida intently stared at the captain of the rival clan. "All investigation will be covered by our Clan only. I would hate it if word spills around about this to the higher ups of OW. It will be easier on all our lives if you just leave it alone." She sighed, and crossed her arms. ' _It will go with my theory of why the Kiseki Clan was also disbanded..._ ' She thought.

"Maybe... we should keep things quiet..." Kise spoke up, looking at his sempai. "They won the battle, so we should follow their terms of winning. It was already part of the rules that they would take the Artifact if one Clan lost in the Dungeon Clan Battle... So..."

With a sigh, Kasamatsu crossed his arms. "Fine." He looked up and offered out his hand towards the female leader of Etoile Clan. "As Captain of Team One from Squad Theta of the Wahr Clan, I promise to not disclose all the details of the defeat of our member, Kise Ryouta, especially when pertaining to your member..."

"Kagami Taiga." Aida finished, and took the captain's hand, shaking it. "It has been done." She murmured, and there was a magic circle that appeared below them, that shattered after glowing for a few seconds. Aida then looked up and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for understanding."

The older male nodded, and released the girl's hand. He looked over at his other team members. "Let's go back to base. It's been a long day."

"Wait!" Kise called out, drawing all attention to the tall male. "I need to speak to Kuroko-cchi for awhile. You can all go ahead without me." He pleaded.

Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes, and pointed at the blond. "You can have your talk, but that doesn't excuse you from the punishment training of hell you will receive when you return! You got me?" He spoke sternly with authority.

Throwing his hands up in defense, the blond male backed up a bit from the shorter male. "I know, and don't worry Sempai!" He gave a small awkward laugh.

Hyuuga looked over at his light haired kohai. "Oi, Kuroko! We're going ahead then to bring Kagami to the infirmary." The shortest male nodded, and watched them all wave before phasing away from sight.

When the two former clansmen were left, Kise turned to the shorter boy. "Kuroko-cchi..." He became a bit awkwardly, unsure how to talk to the other male.

Kuroko turned to the blond, with a lighter expression. "I know we have a lot to discuss, but we can't here, especially in OW." The blond raised a brow, but nodded silently. The light blue male sighed softly, closing his eyes. "I can see and sense a change in Kise-kun... or more like... he returned to his former self, right after Kagami-kun defeated you... no." He shook his head. "Saved you."

Golden eyes closed, and a hand pressed over his heart. "I wasn't lying when I said that I really don't remember what happened since I entered the Dungeon." He opened his eyes, and stared deeply into his former clansman's eyes. "Honestly... I don't even think I can remember much when we were still part of the Kiseki Clan. Everything seems to be a blur." He admitted.

The light blue haired male bowed his head. "Yes. That is why... I think it is better if we talk later, back on Earth." He looked back up at Kise, his gaze softening. "It has been a year. There is much we may need to catch up on, right?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I'm totally rusty in writing out battle scenes...  
> And "down" goes a Miracle General, just four more to go!  
> I'm sure that the cogs are turning, and now there will be some predictions on how things will go from here on. I may agree with you, but we don't know for sure, until more chapters come out. And I'm sure there are some questions, but most will be answered when the story progresses. So please stay tuned! And thanks for reading!!))
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
>  ** _Dungeon Clan Battles_** – When two or more Clans clash for the Artifact. When declared, they will have to battle until one Clan comes out victorious, earn right to the Artifact.
> 
>  **Class Types**  
>  **Assassin** = The type with mostly high evasion, and sometimes agility, and accuracy. They mostly have the ability to control shadow magic. Some have certain psychic attacks. Some also have an array of suppressive magic (magic that obstructs a person's ability to fight well). They are known to mostly use light weapons: knives, daggers, katana. Snipers are sometimes categorized into this class.  
>  ** _Kuroko Tetsuya_**  
>  Class: Assassin  
> Abilities: N/A  
> Costume Ref: (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ae/6c/2f/ae6c2f00f3ee501e842fc39e133c8d9e.jpg or http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd357/Kaji_Tenshu/Anime/zarendor.png)
> 
>  **Brawler** = The type with mostly high strength, and sometimes speed, defense and evasion. They are known for hand in hand combat, without the use of weaponry. They are very knowledgeable of various martial arts, and rely on their body to fight against opponents. They have a special natural energy around them that mixes with their moves to enhance an attack, or lessen the force of an attack from an opponent. They have no inclination to magic abilities.  
>  ** _Tsuchida Satoshi_**  
>  Class: Brawler  
> Abilities: high strength and agility, martial arts expert  
> Costume Ref: (http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110126062903/finalfantasy/images/1/10/Monk_Concept.jpg)  
>  ** _Hayakawa Mitsuhiro_**  
>  Class: Brawler  
> Abilities: high agility and strength, various martial arts expert


	6. The Light and Shadow

In the big meeting room, the senior clansmen of Etoile were gathered together. There was a heavy tension, as they all came to discuss some issues. The main topic of the day was about a certain gender changing red head member of theirs, a growing mystery to their clan. It could not be ignored, as it was obvious that there was something, especially during the run in with one of the Miraculous Generals.

Opening her eyes, Aida looked up at her fellow clansmen. "I've been going through all the recorded videos of past battles in Dungeons, especially with the latest battle with the Wahr Clan." The brunette frowned, furrowing her brows. "On the actually day, I clearly witnessed all that happened, seeing the strange powers of Kagami's." She pressed a button on the table, and the center holographic screen popped up, with multiple windows playing different scenes from different angles.

There were video shots of Hyuuga, Izuki and Mitobe fighting against the Wahr Clan in the room before the Heart Chamber with the Artifact. Then there were footage of Kagami, Kuroko and Kawahara going against the Guardian of the Dungeon. After its defeat, there appeared the Miraculous General about to face the Freshman duo, before one by one all the videos started to slowly get overtaken by static. The details blurred, with no defined figures, but dancing bright lights. "But when I played back the footage to review the battle, this is all I got." Aida looked at all the boys with a troubled expression.

"Could it be possible that it is another one of Kagami's secret abilities? Or perhaps the Miraculous Generals'?" Koganei questioned.

"No one could understand the extend of their powers, and it looks like Kagami is slowly being classified along with those Generals." Tsuchida spoke.

Hyuuga frowned, and adjusted his glasses. "It doesn't make sense, what Kagami's true Class could be, with all the abilities he has been revealing." He crossed his arms, and started to tap his right index finger against his arm. "You can't forget about his keen senses, and his accurate navigation through all the Dungeons. I don't think there is anyone with that kind of innate abilities."

"I also recall Kawahara mentioning about the merged spell that Kagami and Kuroko preformed." Izuki pointed out. He looked around the room at the surprise in some of the other's expressions.

"No way!" Koganei exclaimed. "Not anyone could do such a high level action and attack. I heard it's like a 1 percent chance of being successful with two people, especially when they spent years fighting beside each other."

"Plus, there was that strange scene that we saw and no one could fully explain." Izuki glanced over at Aida and Hyuuga. "That dark thing that came out of that Miraculous General, and then going into Kagami." He closed his eyes, furrowing his brows. "And I know none of us were imagining things, but... there were wings that came out of her back." There were murmurs among the others.

Aida had a deep frown, with her index and middle fingers pressed on her temple, as she leaned against the arm rest. "I have this hunch about Kagami-kun... but it's not 100 percent certain." She saw Hyuuga about to open his mouth, but she raised her free hand and stopped the boy from speaking. "Until I get all the information and continue to closely monitor Kagami-kun, I can't say anything about it." Then she straightened up in her seat, and rolled her shoulders. "However, for now, I'm promoting Kagami's Class from Freelancer to a Knight."

With a press of a button, all the screens, at the center of their round meeting table, disappeared. ' _It will be safer if Kagami-kun was listed as a Knight Class instead of anything else..._ ' Aida silently told herself. Then she looked over at Tsuchida. "And, what's the status on Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun now?" She promptly asked, quickly switching the subject.

All attention drew towards Tsuchida, and he bowed his head. "The wound on Kuroko's abdomen was completely healed, thanks to Kawahara and the medic team of our town." Then he raised his head. "Kagami recently regained consciousness, but she has no recollection of what happened. All that she has mentioned was Kuroko being stabbed, but that was all she could remember." Then he frowned and furrowed his brows. "Kuroko suggested earlier to not mention anything about what happened to Kagami, until there is a full understanding and handle on what really happened at that Dungeon excursion and battle with that Miraculous General."

Aida nodded. "We'll have to tell the other three to also not mention anything to Kagami-kun. We don't want to scare our Rookie who doesn't have a firm grasp of this world or its mechanics... not even her own abilities..."

Koganei sighed, and leaned back into his seat. "I guess we're lucky to have someone like Kagami and Kuroko in our Clan."

"That may be true." Hyuuga grumbled a bit. "But it could bring us a lot of problems for us."

"We'll just have to continue watching over our Kohai." Aida replied. "Especially the troublesome duo."

 

* * *

 

When the school bell rang, Kuroko accompanied his classmate to the teachers' office, as Kagami had a meeting. After making plans to meet at the gates, the light haired boy walked out the school building with a light novel at hand. He suddenly paused, with a nagging feeling at the back of his head.

"Kuroko-cchi!"

Closing his eyes, Kuroko inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes, he raised his head to find a familiar tall and quite handsome blond male. Though his hair was not as bright and shining like in OW, Kise Ryouta still looked just about the same, but was now dressed in a gray school uniform. The shorter male's expression held no expression, especially when he saw a group of girls huddling around the tall proclaimed model.

Kise was waving enthusiastically, then gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Kuroko-cchi, but could you wait for a moment?" Then he turned his attention to the girls around him.

Lightly sighing, Kuroko took his time walking towards the gates, where his past clansman was. He recalled how popular with the female population the blond was in the past, both on Earth and in the Other World. He was not lying when he said he was a model, as it was a part time after school job.

"Oi, Kuroko!"

Turning around, Kuroko found Kagami walking out from the building, with his hand rubbing behind his head. The shorter teen gave a slightly amused and teasing expression. "They let you off instead of giving you detention?"

The red head tisked, and frowned. "I thought we were partners. You should have woken me up back then, before the teacher came, Kuroko. I thought we had each others' backs" He grumbled.

Shaking his head, Kuroko sighed, as he closed his novel and slipped it into his bag. "In the Other World we may be partners, but here on Earth, you are on your own when it comes to school, Kagami-kun. You are responsible for your own future." The red head scowled and clicked his tongue. Inwardly, Kuroko was laughing in amusement, always delighted to tease the tall red head.

"Sorry, Kuroko-cchi!" A person called. The pair turned their heads, and saw the tall blond coming up to them, looking apologetic. He rubbed the back of his head. "That took longer than I anticipated." Looking behind, they saw a few girls giggling and gushing over their phones.

"Kise-kun." The shortest male greeted, slightly bowing his head.

Having a clear view of the blond male before him, Kagami stiffened and became uncomfortable, realizing who it was in front of him. He stepped back, as if wanting to hide behind his smaller friend. ' _Oh great... what is he doing here?_ ' He started to feel a bit self conscious for some reason while in front of one of the infamous Miraculous Generals. For some reason he had a hard time seeing that the infamous Generals could be normal human beings on Earth.

Not missing the towering red head close to Kuroko, Kise looked up, as if inspecting the taller male. His childish and joyful expression morphed into a kind and professional smile, with a hidden guarded emotion behind his eyes. "Oh, hello there. I'm Kise Ryouta, an old friend of Kuroko-cchi from Teikou Middle School." He greeted in a charming way. Kagami nearly shuddered at the fake persona the male before him seemed to exude.

Kuroko looked between the two, and then hesitantly introduced his friend to the blond. "This is Kagami Taiga." At the name, Kise's jaw dropped. The shortest boy turned to the red head beside him. "And I think you remember Kise-kun, Kagami-kun?"

The blond male nearly pushed the shorter male to the side, as he moved forward, and grabbed on to the red head's shoulders. "No way! That Kagami Taiga!? The sexy female fighter from OW that defeated me, Kagami Taiga?"

Kagami had to slap away the hands off his shoulder, and stepped back from the sudden invasion of his personal space. "That's my name." He grumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed, especially from the exclamation of the ex-member of the Kiseki Clan. He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly unsure of how else to reply to the blonde.

There was a tiny blush that colored Kise's cheeks, watching the troubled and embarrassed expression of the red head. He chuckled a bit. ' _Even as a guy, he's still kind of adorable._ '

Kuroko slipped between the two, looking up at the blond. He had a slight stern gaze within his usual blank stare, directed at his old friend. "What are you even doing here, Kise-kun?"

Crossing personal boundaries once again, Kise grabbed the shorter boy's arms, smiling excitedly. "I wanted to catch up, of course! We used to be close, but you disappeared towards the end of our last year in Teikou."

Gently pulling away, Kuroko stared with his wide deadpanned eyes. "We were not that close."

Dramatic tears formed at the corners of Kise's eyes, and grabbed the boy once again. "What? Kuroko-cchi!!!" He cried.

Kagami felt more out of place, and was a bit irked at the changing of moods from the said feared Miraculous General. But he saw the light expression from Kuroko's usual dull eyes, as he watched the tall blond before him. He took another step back, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... I guess I should leave you two to your catching up." He spoke up, breaking the atmosphere between the two former clansmen of Kiseki, and drawing the attention on to him. Kagami looked over at Kuroko. "I'll just see you later when we meet up with the others and the gates open."

Kise quickly grabbed the red head's wrist, tugging him. "Wait!" Kagami looked down at his wrist and scowled. "There was also another reason I came here. I wanted to meet with Kagami-cchi too!"

"HAH!? Kagami-cchi!? What the hell?" The red head roughly pulled his wrist free, and stared at the blond, outrageously.

"Kise-kun only calls those he respects and likes with a -cchi at the end of their names." Kuroko explained.

Kise was grinning widely, nodding his head. "I knew that all the members of Etoile Clan were from Seirin High, so I came to meet with the first person to have ever defeated me in a battle in OW." He then slightly tilted his head, looking a bit confused. "I was expecting more of a really beautiful girl." Then his expression brightened again. "But imagine my surprise that instead I find a really cute guy instead." He winked playfully.

Kagami grabbed the boy's collar, glaring. "Do you want me to punch you? And I'm not cute!" His intimidation was dulled by the bright red that covered his entire face, and his slight tremble of his voice, out of sheer embarrassment.

Kuroko reached out, patting the red head's arm to release the blond. Kise sighed in relief when he was let go. Kagami was still glaring, but also had the blush on his cheeks. The shortest male held on to the red head's wrist, then turned to the blond male. "So you met with Kagami-kun, and found his true identity. Now let us go somewhere so that we could have that talk you wanted."

"But I also wanted to get to know more of Kagami-cchi." The blond whined, clutching on to the other sleeve of the tall red head.

"That's not my name!" The red head barked.

With a click of his tongue, Kuroko looked off to the side, with a small frown. "So annoying." He muttered not so quietly. Kise nearly cried again.

Then all was silenced when there was a loud noise. The former members of Kiseki honed their eyes at the tall red head. Kagami automatically covered his stomach. "Uh..."

Kise's lips curled into a wide smile, and he wrapped his arm around the tall red head's wide shoulders. "Hey, why don't I buy you some food, and we'll get to know each other over dinner, ne?" He slyly offered, leading Kagami towards the gates of the school.

"Hm... I don't mind some free food..." The red head mumbled, not protesting to the offer.

Kuroko narrowed his eyes, especially wanting to burn holes at the back of the blond's head. He quickly and quietly trailed behind the two. He noted that Kagami forgot about the closeness of the blond, thinking more with his stomach than minding the touchiness of Kise. ' _You are too cunning Kise-kun... but you will regret that you offered to buy Kagami-kun food.'_ The boy was inwardly smirking, though it was not visibly seen on his expression. _'I need to make sure that no one takes advantage of the airheadedness of Kagami-kun..._ '

 

* * *

 

And slight regret did Kise feel, as he watched the red head devoured a mountain of burgers in front of him. However, Kise was enjoying the adorable face and expression the red head had as he ate, with his puffed out and stuffed cheeks, and the small smile of bliss in satisfying his stomach. To his side, Kuroko did not look as slightly appalled and impressed at the same time in the amount of food the red head ordered and was eating. He was just sitting back, enjoying his cup of vanilla shake.

Shaking his head, the blond turned to the shortest male. "You know, since our team was unsuccessful in getting that Artifact from the Dungeon our Clans battled, our team kind was forced into probation and got demoted to 3rd Team of the Theta Squad." Kise sighed, and propped his elbow on the table, with his cheek leaning on to his hand. He was twirling around the empty paper cover of the straw. "How embarrassing, and Sempai is being a meany, doing some hard training and side battles."

Kagami blinked, and then narrowed his eyes, watching the two males in front of him. He swallowed before he spoke up. "Hey... I don't get the whole squad and team thing..."

"You don't?" Kise raised a brow, surprised.

Kuroko lifted his chin, drawing away from his straw with vanilla shake. "I guess you don't recall, but Kagami-kun is a Rookie. He just recently found out he was a Chosen of the Other World. Plus, our Clan is very new, so there is not a lot of members to be divided up like your Clan." He explained calmly, before returning to his delicious cold drink.

"Really?" The blond mused, and turned towards the red head. "I can't believe that you're a Rookie, and was able to fight against me." He mumbled. Then he sighed and shook his head, looking back up with a small smile. "Well, when Clans grow big with a lot of members, they form Squads. Members are then further divided into Teams within the Squads, where certain teams are given certain assignments."

"In my current Clan, Wahr, I was placed in the Theta Squad, where there are all mostly high school aged members. Then I was easily entered into the first team, where our objective was conquering Dungeons and battling with other Clan members that are within our ranks. There are a total of 3 Teams per Squads usually, and the lower the Team number, the lower the privileges. Right now my Team is stuck with mostly boarder patrols and collecting materials from fighting roaming monsters or different terrains. It's our punishment." Kise slightly pouted at the subtle mention of having lost to the Etoile Duo. "But the more success you get in a Team, the higher in ranking order you could achieve, and the more privileges you could attain." The blond explained.

"And how many of these Squads are there in your Clan?" Kagami wondered, then took a bite of his burger.

Twirling the straw in his now empty cup, Kise replied, intently watching the red head, as he slowed down his eating, just to listen to the explanation. "Well, there is about 5 active Squads, and over 90 members in Wahr Clan, ranging from ages of 14-30 years. The members are mostly made up from the Kanagawa Prefecture, like where the current High School I'm attending, Kaijou High. Our Clan is considered old, running through about 5 generations." He said with pride. Kuroko raised a brow, watching the blond male.

Then he turned to the red head beside him. "Kagami-kun, I ran out of my shake, could you buy another one for me?" Kuroko asked, while shaking his empty cup.

"Hah!?" Kagami looked outrageously at the blue head. "Why me!?" He nearly shouted. He pointed at the blond in front of them. "He's finished eating, why can't he do it?" He frowned, and narrowed his eyes at Kise.

Kuroko lightly sighed. "If he goes, I'm afraid that it will take longer, because, as you can see, there is a big group of girls over there. And you know how they would react at the sight of him." He gestured towards the girls all gathered together, looking at the menu. Kise was nodding his head, and a scowl started to form on Kagami's lips. "With that crowd, they will not see me and I would not be able to get my order... so, please, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami didn't realize that the big eyes that the shorter male was giving him was difficult to resist. With a big sigh, the red head stuffed the rest of the burger that was in his hand, and stood up with a big scowl. "Fine. Whatever." Then walked away, grumbling.

Kise chuckled, and turned his attention to the light haired boy. His expression fell, and tension rose around them. "Kuroko-cchi..." His tone lowered, and became a bit softer. "Why did you leave Kiseki before the Royal Tournament?"

Closing his eyes, Kuroko slightly bowed his head. He took in a silent deep breath, and slowly let it out. Raising his head, he opened his eyes, looking straight into a pair of honey colored eyes. "For a while, I have been getting these strange feelings every time our team went into battles." Under the table, he clenched on to the hem of his uniform coat. "I... started to question the beliefs and goals of the Clan... I had to get away, or else I would be swept away from that strange feeling that seemed to have changed everyone, even you, Kise-kun." He lightly shook his head. "I could not stand it, so... I left."

Sighing softly, Kuroko tore his gaze away from the glistening eyes of his former clansman, filled with a mix of hidden emotions. "For months I stayed away from the Other World... but one day... I ran into him... Kagami-kun... and somehow, my old beliefs came back. I started to trust in other people again." He said softly, his eyes locking on to the tall red head, waiting in line at the counter. There was a light emotion that flicker upon his usual aloof expression.

Baby blue eyes turned back towards the blond male. "That moment when I met with you again after a long time, I felt it again, that strange feeling emitted from you... but this time, it was worse, something darker and colder than last time." Kuroko inwardly shivered. "It reminded me of the past during Kiseki, and it was an ill and sticky feeling that couldn't be wiped away. But then... Kagami-kun gave me hope, as we fought against you, Kise-kun, battling against that bad feeling. Kagami-kun did the impossible, and got rid of that bad feeling with his light." The blond felt the affection in the tone of the small boy, as he spoke of the red head. "I know that you cannot remember, but it was almost like-"

"A warmth has touched my heart, and cleansed away the mud away from me." Kise murmured, finishing off the sentence of the blue haired boy. The blond closed his eyes, softly touching he chest, the area above his heart. "I feel kind of lighter, and my mind seems clearer than back then in the Kiseki Clan." He opened his eyes, and looked straight at his former clansmen. "Though I may not fully remember what happened in that Dungeon against your Clan, I think I'm starting to recall bits and piece of what happened, from what footage we were able to collect..."

Kise furrowed his brows, slightly tilting his head, with a concentrated look. "You know, the recorded footage were all mostly static, especially with our battle in the Heart Chamber, but I could hear things, and I start to remember some things. Honestly, it was like I was in a movie, watching the whole thing through the eyes of someone else. It wasn't myself who was controlling all the actions that day... and that moment where there were a bunch of lights in that recorded clip with muffled sounds, I could remember the pain of something being ripped out from me... then a very comforting warmth."

"I know that Kagami-cchi did something, and I could understand what you are trying to say, Kuroko-cchi." The blond seriously looked straight into Kuroko's eyes. "Something could have happened to us back in Kiseki. I realize now that we all did change, into something not good at all in OW." Kise crossed his arms, furrowing his brows again with a deep frown. "To be honest, I really can't remember what happened on that day that the Clan got dismembered and disbanded..."

Silence came between them, both lost in their thoughts. Kuroko pulled away from his straw. "My promise with Kagami-kun now has a deeper meaning behind it..." He mumbled.

Kise raised a brow, looking intently at the smaller boy. "What was that?"

The light blue haired boy looked up at the golden haired male. "Kagami-kun and I are going to defeat the Miraculous Generals." He declared, conviction in his eyes. "In some way, and some how, I am hoping that with their defeat, and with Kagami-kun with me, we may be able to save them from whatever it was that was in them. Like with you, Kise-kun."

The blond slowly nodded with understanding. "Maybe I could join you two. The more the merrier, right?" He smiled widely. But then he stiffened when Kuroko sharply looked at him, radiating an eerie aura. There was some kind of message that the shorter boy seemed to be sending, but Kise had trouble understanding, and was squirming under his intense stare.

Suddenly a cup was slammed down on to the table, breaking the tense atmosphere between the two former teammates. They looked up and saw the bored look of their other companion. Kagami looked down at the blond. "What did you do to make Kuroko mad?" He grumbled.

Kise suddenly pulled the red head next to him in the booth, and wrapped his arms around the red head's arm. "Kagami-cchi! Kuroko-cchi is being a meany! Make him stop looking at me like that!" He whined, squeezing the red head's arm.

"Hey!" The red head was struggling to get free. "And stop calling me that way!" He looked over, and saw the darkening of the aura around the blue head. Kagami squirmed at such an intense sight from his partner. "Hey! You're making Kuroko worse!"

"I didn't do anything! Kagami-cchi protect me!"

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was already setting when the two students from Seirin left the fast food restaurant. Kise stood there, watching as the pair disappeared from sight. He looked at his phone, and gave a small smile. After closing his phone, he stuffed it in his pocket, and looked up. Honey colored eyes widened in surprise, as familiarity came to the blond teen.

"Midorima-cchi!"

Across the street, a very tall green haired male slightly flinched at the call. He slowly turned around and saw the energetically waving blond. The boy sighed, and raised his glasses up higher. Emerald green eyes followed the blond, as Kise looked both ways, before jogging across the street.

Kise was smiling wide, and he not so lightly pat the taller male's shoulder. "Wow! It's been a while, Midorima-cchi! I didn't expect to see you around here!" He chirped.

The tall male sighed. "Not long enough, Kise." He replied in a deep and flat tone. "Not that you need to know, but I'm looking for tomorrow's luck item. But someone as idiotic as you won't understand."

The blond pouted, as if he was hurt. "So mean!" Then his honey colored eyes glanced down at the toy frog in the taller male's hand. His eye slightly twitched. "I would ask about the frog..." His voice trailed off.

Midorima, as the taller male was called, adjusted his glasses again. "It's Cancer's lucky item for the day, according to Oha-Asa." He replied with a straight face. Kise inwardly laughed awkwardly. "It seems you need some luck, especially after your defeat against a no named Clan."

Kise huffed in response. "You weren't there, so you don't understand. But they're not a no named Clan, they're-"

"No, I do understand." The taller male interrupted. His green eyes narrowed at the blond. "You're weak, Kise. And to think that someone, especially the likes of a traitor that turned their back on the Clan, had defeated you."

Kise had to take a step back from the taller male at such harsh words. ' _I can understand what Kuroko-cchi was trying to say... He's different than what I remembered... there's that strange feeling, and it's coming from Midorima-cchi..._ ' The blond frowned a little. "But Kuroko-cchi wasn't alone... the one who defeated me was someone unlike any other... if you meet up with them, I'd warn you to be cautious." He replied. Then he shook his head. "I changed my mind, I want them to defeat you, Midorima-cchi." He firmly said, looking straight into the pair of deep emerald eyes.

Midorima scoffed, adjusting his glasses again. "I will never be defeated by a no name Clan." He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the blond before him. "And if I ever do run into them, I'll make sure they will not return to OW again. Should I remind you of the laws instilled to us Chosen from Kiseki?" He slightly raised his chin, looking down at his former clansman. “The strong can only obtain victory, when the weak perish. This is why you were defeated. And soon, that no name clan will as well, if ever we come across one another.”

Frown deepened when Kise noticed the sudden change of color of the eyes of his past clansman. It went from green to black, and then back to green again, in less than a second. Inwardly, the blond shivered. He watched as the tall green head turned around and walked away without another word. ' _I hope Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi defeats the rest of the Generals... and soon._ '

 

* * *

 

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Aida stood among the other members in the meeting room. She was clapping her hands to get their attention. The members of the Etoile Clan were gathered together, returning from a day of classes back on Earth. "So, the first thing in our agenda." She beamed, and turned her attention towards the tall female red head. "Congratulations Kagami-kun, you are now promoted from Freelancer Class to a Knight Class!" She applauded.

Just as the words were spoken, Kagami started to freak out a bit, when her whole body started to glow. When the lights died down, her costume changed completely, causing reactions from the majority of the male members. Kagami cried out in surprise, and suddenly stood up, looking down at her changed wardrobe. She was wearing some silver armor that hugged her curves, and seemed to accentuate her bosom. She had a red scarf and skirt to go with it, matching with her deep red hair, that was tied to a side ponytail over her right shoulder, with a few loose curls.

The leader of the Clan felt her eyes twitch. She then turned vicious glaring eyes at the males in her clan. Something within her snapped when she spotted some trickles of crimson. "Hey, you perverts, snap out of it!" She shrilled, and brought out her greatest weapon, a "paper" fan. Fear came upon all the males.

With a sigh, Kagami was rubbing her head, where she was sporting a big bump. She recalled the meeting, where no one was spared from the wrath of their great leader. No one. "Why did I get hit too?" She grumbled, as she walked down the dirt roads, with her usual partner, Kuroko, beside her. He too had a big bump, but didn't seem to be phased by it.

"Just know that the female population are difficult to understand, Kagami-kun." The shorter boy replied simply. "Even if you are changed into a girl, your mind is still a male's." He then turned to look at the tall girl. "Shall we get a blessing from the Goddess before we head out to do our rounds in boarder patrols?" He questioned.

Kagami shrugged. "I heard Furihata say that he prayed to our Clan's god, and he got lucky in receiving some rare materials. So, why not? Maybe I could get better luck in raking some money." She smiled a bit embarrassingly. "And... I want to buy the pastry from last time in the next town. They were very expensive, from what I could remember..." She rubbed the back of her head, while nearly drooling at the thought of the sweets. Kuroko lightly snorted.

When they entered the Espoir Town's temple, the place was quiet, and lighted up brightly by the sun light filtering through the colorful mosaic glass windows. The walls and pillars were all white, and the marble floor was colored in black, white and sprinkles of red. There were candles lighted up at the alter, and a big statue of a female dressed in robes standing at the center. The pair came close to it. Kagami craned her head, looking up at the plain masked goddess.

"I always wondered about these gods here in OW. Why is it so important that the Clans choose a god they need to represent, and allow the Phasma to worship?" She asked out loud. "Are they even real?"

Kuroko nodded. "They are indeed." He replied, then glanced up at the tall statue. "As you can recall, our Clan chose the Goddess of light, hope and harmony, Lux." Kagami muttered with a pout that she did remember the name. "They give blessings to the town and the Clan that fights for them, allowing the town to grow and change based on the accomplishments of the Clan for the town."

"And as Chosen, we are the only ones able to meet with them face to face." He turned to the red head, and saw the astonished look on on her face. He inwardly chuckled, knowing that Kagami seemed to forget her lessons from their leader. "It only happens about once a year, when the gods come to give their great blessings upon the Clan, when they have reached a certain great landmark achievement."

The red head hummed in amusement. "And I bet, that you coming from such an old and powerful Clan, was able to see the Kiseki Clan's deity many times." Then she turned to face the light blue haired male, with a slight tilt of her head, curious. "Are they as mystical as they are said in stories from Earth?"

Kuroko gave a small smile. "They are, and they are magnificent. But their presence are over imposing, and it could be kind of scary to meet with them." He replied. "Sooner or later, Etoile Clan will meet with the Goddess Lux by the end of the year blessing. It's a bit celebration, almost like the New Year's Day celebrations back on Earth."

Kagami's eyes widened, and sparkled with excitement. Then she looked back up at the statue. "If I pray to this Goddess, will she hear me? It seems to work for Furihata, right?"

' _Honestly, stop being adorable and innocent, Kagami-kun..._ ' The small male waved a hand out, gesturing for her to do it. "Go ahead and try." He watched as the girl bowed down on one knee, and bowed her head. The image before his eyes reminded him of a knight bowing to the queen. His expression lightened, watching the girl.

"Uh... Goddess Lux, this is the first for me, but I ask you to please give me the strength to help this Clan to succeed and strive, as peace and happiness will always be upon our modest and lovely town." Kagami prayed out loud. "Please also, um... protect our Clan, and to give me the power to protect all the important people safe." She then looked up at the covered face of the statue. "Oh, and, guide Kuroko and I, so that we could fulfill our promise to defeat the Miraculous Generals, and help raise our Clan to the top."

Kuroko blinked his eyes, and had to rub them. He thought he was seeing things, as there looked to be a faint image of wings upon the back of Kagami, from the rays of light pouring down over her. ' _Like an angel..._ '

 

* * *

 

There was a proud and confident grin upon Aida's lips. Excitement was sparkling within her wide hazel eyes. She slammed down to the table what looked like a scroll that came out from the olden times. "Everyone! For the very first time, Etoile Clan has been formally challenged for a Clan Battle against Unidad Clan!" The girl loudly announced.

Many perked at the announcement. Koganei looked towards his leader. "Oh! You mean that three generations clan that Tsuchida ran into two days ago?" He questioned.

Aida nodded. "They were upset that we took that Artifact from Dungeon S74." She explained. "They did enter the Dungeon first, but we were the first to reach the Artifact. So they are challenging our Clan for the Artifact, to apparently redeem their Team rank. And it's an Artifact that they seem to need."

A hand shot up among the members. They all turned to their Rookie. "What's so different about this Clan Battle? Also, why not trade then? And how do they know what Artifact we got from there?" Kagami suddenly asked.

"Well," Tsuchida spoke up, taking the role to explain first to their Rookie. "Formal challenges between Clans are something that commonly occur here in OW. Some just challenge each other for bragging rights, or for any other reasons just for a battle between Clans. Because both Clans want the same Artifact, then they fight for it."

"But, there is nothing that our Clan needs from them." Aida said, shrugging her shoulders. She ignored the muttering from Koganei, saying they could get the tomb for sugar production. "Plus, because it was something the other Clan wants badly, I don't want to make a trade for anything they have. So I accepted the Clan Battle Challenge instead." She smiled to herself, pleased. Some had to shake their heads and sigh at their leader's antics.

"With knowing about Artifacts," Tsuchida continued. "It's all registered in the OW database that all Clans have access to." He answered further. "Anyone could get the basic information about other Clans, but not the full details, like the levels of an individual or their abilities. It even can show the whole Country that we are on in OW, and where Dungeons are generally located."

"I believe that the database is closely monitored by the Elder Clan." Izuki cut in. He looked towards the red haired female. "The Elder Clan are basically like the government of the OW, and supposedly have easier access in reaching the Gods here. They are the ones that oversee the Country, like judges. They have final say on whether a Clan should be made, or dismantled."

Aida raised her chin, and jabbed her thumb to her chest. "And as a Guide Class, I am able to easily enter the Database without using any of the OW computers or cyberspace, but with certain limitations that I won't get into because it will be complicated to explain." She said with some pride. Kagami grumbled at the small comment. "Just know that because of my Class, I get less restrictions in accessing the OW Database than say you or other people in different Classes."

Hyuuga tore his eyes away from observing their Rookie, then turned to his leader. "So, going to give details of the Clan Battle Challenge?"

The brunette cleared her throat, and put on her serious business face. "This is going to be a pairs challenge. That means only two may fight against two of their choosing. In addition, we could only use one reserved fighter if ever one falls among our first paired fighters." She explained, then she looked at Kagami. "For these formal challenges, it's not to the 'death', rather, until all are unable to fight and/or unconscious."

Hyuuga then raised his hand. "As much as I hate suggesting this, but I vote that Kuroko and Kagami be our pair fighters representing our Clan." Kuroko and Kagami perked at the proposal from the bespectacled male. There were murmurs and nods of agreement from the other members.

Aida closely watched their infamous duo, then nodded. "Well, since everyone is in agreement, Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun will be our pair fighters."

"Maybe, we could easily win after seeing Kagami, and they pass out then and there." Izuki openly jokes. There were small chuckles from the others. The raven haired male suddenly got slapped at the back of his head.

Hazel eyes locked intently into Hyuuga's. "If, and only if, either Kagami-kun or Kuroko-kun become unable to fight, then we'll have Izuki as the reserved fighter." Aida spoke up. "His powers would hopefully buffer and suppress them enough to get us a win." She then glanced around. "Agreed?"

 

* * *

 

Kagami was in awe, her jaw nearly hanging, as she looked around with wide glittering eyes. It was the day of their formal challenge, and most of the Etoile Clan were walking down the big and magnificent metropolis city. The buildings were tall, with skyscrapers so high that it hurt her neck trying to look at the very top. There were lots of people, both Phasma and various Clan members gathered and walking around the streets. The residents of OW in the city wore a more elegant and almost futuristic set of clothing, different from their little comfortable town. There were bridges and transparent and colorful tubes, with floating devices with people sitting on it, flying through. There were giant holographic screens placed everywhere, and most of the signs were digital. The place definitely looked like a futuristic city, unlike back in Earth, as if it was made directly out of a science fiction movie.

"Welcome to the Imperial City." Koganei threw out his hand, welcoming their clan Rookie. "This is the center of the Country, where the Elder Clan resides. Chosen come if they want to buy something, make some trades, or ask the Elder Clan about something."

"The Imperial City is where you buy high quality and fancy things." Izuki added. "They make some of the best weapons and items here, but they all cost a fortune."

"This is where most of the formal challenges and tournaments are hosted." Hyuuga spoke. "They have many arenas, big and small."

Koganei tugged on the girl's wrist, catching her attention. He grinned widely up at the tall girl. "We should take Kagami here during the end of the year celebration. It's the biggest, over the top and spectacular festival in the whole Country. It gets packed full of Phasma and Clan members, and they have so much good food too!" Kagami's eyes shined upon the mention of food.

The group from Etoile Clan stood at one side of the small battle arena, where their challenge was assigned. Kagami was told that the Arena Park, located close to the tallest and biggest tower of all of the Country known as the Elder Clan HQ, was where formal battles between Clans, outside Dungeons, could be found. Apparently, all formal battles were publicly known and listed in the database that she was told about. Anyone was welcomed to watch in the protected observation decks. The Arena Park was almost like an amusement park or museum to Kagami. There were three giant domed arenas where the official tournaments were held. Then there were three towers, where the smaller arenas were. They were apparently stacked on top of one another, and there where more floors located underground even. It was where the small formal challenges between Clans were located. The small arena was about the size of a two court college gymnasium.

Across from the group was their opponents, the Unidad Clan. According to Aida, they were the Zeta Squad, the ones that challenged them. There were a handful of girls in their group, unlike the Etoile Clan, that only had Kagami present, while Aida was left back at Espoir, with Tsuchida.

A young man stepped up, dressed in long dark robes. It was almost close to the costume that Izuki and Furihata would wear, but had some armor. "Welcome, Etoile Clan." He smiled.

Hyuuga stepped forward. "Then, you are the Zeta Squad from Unidad Clan." He bowed his head in greeting.

The teen smiled. "Yes. I am Tanimura Yuusuke, the captain of Team 1 of Squad Zeta." He introduced himself.

The bespectacled male nodded, with recognition. "Yes, I remember. You were the Team that my clansmen crossed paths with in that one Dungeon." Some of his clansmen twitched at the jab their second in command made towards their opponents. The small retort earned some glares towards their group.

"That's right, and it was unfortunate that we allowed you to grab our prize." Tanimura replied, slightly placing out his arm to the side, as if trying to prevent his clansmen from trying to do anything.

"Yours..." He grumbled. Hyuuga narrowed his eyes, then crossed his arms. "Shall we get this over with? I'm sure we're all busy here."

Tanimura bowed at his waist. "You're right." Then he straightened up. "Then, as stated in the challenge, only two members are allowed to fight, and that there can only be one reserve fighter." He slightly tilted his head, crossing his arms. "We were mindful to make it a two fighter challenge considering how... small your Clan is."

Eyes narrowed, and the tension rose in the arena. Hyuuga adjusted his glassed. "Thank you for your consideration." He nearly hissed, but remained calm. He raised up his hand to the side. "Our two fighters." Kagami and Kuroko stepped up. The smaller male adjusted his masked over his nose, while Kagami was rolling her wrists, then brushed her bangs over her eyes. "Kuroko and Kagami."

The captain raised a brow in amusement. "Interesting." He murmured, then looked to the side. A tall foreign looking female stepped beside the male. She looked even taller than Kagami. She had caramel skin, and dark hair and eyes. She was dressed more scantily than Kagami, showing off more of her nearly flawless dark skin. She had some light armor on as well. "For our side, Penda and myself will be the fighters."

Kagami blinked, and then turned to her group. "Is that legal? Can foreigners really be able to join in Clans. She can't be Japanese." She pointed. In the background, the Etoile Clan were debating on how they could pronounce the girl's name. ' _I thought this whole Other World thing only happens here in Japan..._ '

Hyuuga slapped her hand down. "You idiot. Didn't Riko already tell you about this? And don't talk about foreigners joining, returnee!" He hissed, and then sharply turned his head to his other members, glaring at them to shut up.

There was a sigh that could be heard in her head. " _Honestly, Kagami-kun._ " She heard their leader. The red head pouted, muttering to herself. " _Like I told you before, it is hard to explain, really. But every country in the world have their own version of OW, as so they say. If you were to describe it, there are different masses of lands making up the whole OW. Our country of Japan populate these lands we are on, if you can recall the map it. Everything around is all just a dark abyss, not connected to any other lands, unlike on Earth where there are other countries or bodies of water bordering those lands._ "

" _Then we can all assume that there are other countries out there in OW, but they are all separated. Also think of it like different internet servers, like for internet games. America have their own lands in OW that they protect and fight in, while Japan has its own lands in OW. They are all not connected, but people that travel to other countries on Earth could enter the other lands in OW. Understand?_ " Aida questioned in her teacher tone. Kagami slowly nodded.

Kuroko and Kagami took a step at the slightly raised platform. On the other side, the captain of the Zeta Squad and the tall foreign female took a stand. The dark foreign girl raised a brow, then started to laugh in a boisterous way, while holding on to her bare stomach. "I can't believe that Clans would use a child to fight! Is that even legal, Captain?" She pointed at the light blue haired boy standing next to the red haired female. It showed in her accent and the way she pronounced some words that she was definitely a foreigner. "This will be easy!" She proudly proclaimed.

Eyes narrowed. Kuroko tugged his hood lower. "Kagami-kun." The red head blinked, and glanced down at her partner. She was not able to see his face, with the blocking it from her point of view. But she felt it, a chilling aura radiating from the boy next to her. "I am not going to hold anything back, even if our opponent is female."

Kagami smirked, and looked up at the opponents. "If you did, I would have to kill you." Then her sword appeared in her hands, and she swung it in front of her, going into a prepared stance. "Let's do this quickly, okay?" Kuroko tightened his gloves, and clenched his fist tight.

" _Oi! Think things through, okay? Tanimura is a Class Sorcerer, while that Panda girl is a Warrior._ " They heard Aida speak to them in their heads.

The red head became confused. "'Panda'?"

"That was what the majority of us heard the foreigner girl was called. The team captain was speaking funny." Kuroko replied with his flat tone. Kagami didn't believe that her clan mistakenly heard the name, but shrugged her shoulders and let it go.

Then there was a sharp sound and slight glint of light, as a barrier rose around the battle floor, preventing any harm towards the spectators, and any interference from outside the battle floor. In a blink of an eye, Kuroko disappeared from sight, catching the Unidad pair off guard. Kagami dashed forward with her giant sword towards them. The Etoile duo wasted no time, going for the attack first.

A rain of knives came down at them suddenly. Tanimura waved his staff, and the knives started to slow down in its descent. "Slow!"

There was a loud battle cry, and Panda came in to block the sword attack with her own saber. The taller girl struggled to push back the red head. ' _She's strong... stronger than me?_ ' The taller girl backed away, and dodged in time from being sliced by the girl. She started to hop back away from the red haired girl.

Kagami growled, and dashed again. More knives were thrown, distracting the rival clan's Sorcerer. The red head leaped up into the air, raising her big sword, and heaved it down. Tanimura and Panda had to jump away, and they lost their balance, rolling on the ground. They looked up and all of the Zeta Squad from Unidad had their jaws hanging at the sight. There was a deep crater from the impact of Kagami's sword to the hard concrete floor.

The red head quickly raised her sword, blocking the attack from Panda and her saber. "Che. You're not really that impressive." The darker girl muttered, trying to push the girl with her strength.

There was a small snort, and Kagami smirked. "Yeah?" Then the red head stepped back, and a wave of a shadow spell rose, coming between the two girls. Panda widened her eyes, and dodged. Then more shadow spells were cast, and the pair from Unidad were running around dodging.

"It's that little boy!" Panda shouted to her partner. She stopped in time to miss being split to two from the red head with her giant sword.

Tanimura clicked his tongue, and waved his staff. "Bind!"

A magic circle appeared below the female knight, and Kagami became stuck in place. She looked down, confused, and struggling to move. "What the?" She gritted her teeth.

Panda smirked, and twirled her saber in her hand. "Thanks, Captain!" Then she dashed towards the immobilized girl.

Kuroko widened his eyes, and rushed towards the girl. "Kagami-kun."

"Bind!" The little Assassin became trapped in the same spell, and looked down at the glowing magic circle below him. Tanimura was smirking. Kuroko narrowed his eyes.

The rest of Etoile were panicking, shouting out to the pair. The other Unidad members were cheering, seeing their victory just within their grasps. Kagami kept struggling, then roared, blaring with a while aura. Everyone became stunned when they saw the magic circle below the girl shatter. The red haired Knight quickly raised her sword, and blocked the attack from Panda. The Warrior had her eyes wide in shock. "How?" Panda whispered, nearly lost with words.

"I won't let you defeat my partner or me." Kagami growled, and pushed the taller girl. Panda nearly lost the grip of her saber, and was slashed down. The darker girl was sent towards the invisible shields, and she slid down it, hissing with pain. The Knight roared again, and rushed towards her enemy with her sword.

"Penda!" The Sorcerer panicked. He waved his staff. "Bind!" He shouted. A magic circle appeared below the red head, but Kagami easily stepped through it, unaffected. She continued on with her barrage of attacks, which Panda was having a hard time trying to return or block. ' _The Knight is immune to the Bind Spell? How!?_ '

Tanimura pulled out a lighter, and lighted it up. "This will change the game." Then he waved his staff with his other hand. "Fire Manipulation: Flame Attack!" Balls of fire formed around the eldest male, coming from the flames of the lighter.

To the side, Kuroko, who was still under the binding spell, gave a small smile under his mask. "That was a very big mistake." He murmured.

The Captain of Zeta Squad turned his attention to Kuroko. Then he waved his staff and pointed it at the smaller boy. Kagami saw the action, and rushed towards the light haired boy with amazing speed. "Kuroko!"

In front of him, Kuroko found his partner standing between him and the fire attack. The Knight raised her sword, and the blast of fire hit against her sword shield. Those standing behind could see that the flames did no damage, but were being absorbed by the Knight. Kuroko's eyes shined, watching the red head.

When the flames ended, Kagami stood up straight. She looked back at her partner. "Alright there, Kuroko? Can you move now?"

Fingers twitched, and the smaller boy nodded. "Yes."

"Great!" Kagami grinned, then turned around, watching the Unidad pair. "I think it's time we end this now, don't you think?" She smiled over her shoulder. Kuroko returned a small smile behind his mask, and nodded.

The red head turned her head, and pointed at the pair. "How about I show you a real fire attack?" She started to blare with a red aura, picking up some wind that encircled around the arena. "Blaze Blast!" The girl became encased in fire, that started to gather in the girl's hand. Then a big stream of fire blasted towards the opponents.

The spectators all had trouble trying to see through the intense light. They felt a big wave of heat, and the place trembled by the force of the attack. When it died down, the battle field was covered with smoke, contained within the field shields. When the smoke cleared, they saw Tanimura and Panda pressed against the invisible wall, panting. They were covered with black ash, and some of the edges of their clothing was singed. Panda was hissing, feeling the burns. ' _If Captain didn't raise that shield, and the automatic shields of this arena didn't come up, we would have been roasted and gone from here._ ' She looked up as the smoke thinned out. But then her eyes widened with more shock.

Everyone in the arena were stunned, seeing Kuroko and Kagami standing face to face. They were blaring in their respective auras of white and black, that were fiercely clashing. A big glowing magic circle was below them. Their arms were stretched out towards their opponents, and hands open wide. "Shadow Flare!"

The Etoile Clan was shouting and jumping for joy at their victory. They all jumped on to the one step platform, and tackled the duo. At the other side, the Zeta Squad of Unidad Clan were silent with shock, unsure on what just happened in front of their eyes. Tanimura and Panda were unconscious on the floor. They didn't even bother with sending their reserved member, as it was obvious who the victors were.

"Kuroko!" The light blue haired boy was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by his partner. "We did it!" Kagami shouted, not realizing that the boy's face was pressed in a rather scandalizing place. "We did it!"

 

* * *

 

There was a whistle, watching one clan celebrating. In the observation deck, behind a one way glass, that oversaw the battle field below, stood two males. "Can you believe it? That new Clan has some pretty interesting fighters, especially that Knight and Assassin duo... to be able to do a difficult merge spell..." The shortest between the two looked up at the taller male beside him. "And I won't lie, that Knight is pretty hot, I wonder if I could be introduced to her. Don't you think so, Shin-chan?"

The tall male scowled. "Don't call me that, Takao." He hissed, and adjusted his glasses, ignoring the chuckled from the boy beside him. "Let's go."

"Midorima-cchi!?"

The pair turned and saw a tall blond male, and a shorter raven haired male walking slightly behind him. "What are you doing here?" The blond questioned excitedly.

Midorima scowled. "Kise." There were curious looks coming from the tall green haired male's partner.

"Oh, don't tell me you came here to watch the Clan Challenge between Etoile and Unidad, too!" The blond grinned. "Aren't they interesting? And Kuroko-cchi was so cool out there!"

Kasamatsu, the one that accompanied the blond former Miraculous General, glanced through the window. The two Clans were at the center, most likely negotiating after the end of the challenge. "It was listed in the Database, and Kise was begging to watch. But they are intriguing, that Etoile Clan."

"They are nothing special." Midorima replied. "How you were defeated by their Clan, is the real question."

Kise's expression fell, and he slightly frowned. "You shouldn't underestimate them, Midorima-cchi, especially with Kuroko-cchi and his new 'Light'." He warned his former clansmen.

The bespectacled male scoffed, adjusting his glasses. "You're just weak, Kise. And I will never be defeated by a weak no name Clan, like I said before." He turned his back at the two from Wahr Clan. "If ever I come across them, I'll eliminate them. Something you failed to do." His voice became cold. The three close by shivered. Midorima looked at the boy he came with, and narrowed his eyes. "Come, Takao."

Then the pair left, leaving behind Kise and Kasamatsu. Worry came to the blond, as he watched the tall male with a small frown. He shivered again. ' _It's that feeling again, coming off of Midorima-cchi..._ '

"Something is a bit off with that former clansman of yours..." Kasamatsu spoke.

"I just hope Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi defeats him soon." Kise murmured.

The older male looked up at his partner. "Why do you say that?" He wondered.

Shaking his head, Kise's expression changed, and he was grinning. "I wonder if I should go and see Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi." He started to feel a bit giddy, and a small blush grew on his cheeks at the thought of the red head.

Kasamatsu felt irritated, and kicked the younger male. "You just want to take out pretty girls. So annoying!" He ignored the cry from his kohai. "And, what's so different about Kagami compared to all the other girls that willingly throw themselves at you everyday?" He wrinkled his nose in slight disgust and annoyance.

Kise smiled widely. "She's... just different." He glanced through the window, easily spotting the red head. The smile upon that person's face stirred something in him. "That's all."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN:** I finally am free! My excuse for the long wait was that real life bombarded me with a lot of shit. Now I can continue with writing.
> 
> Anyway, loads of new information about the world. Also, Midorima showed up. You know what that means! Sorry for the short and kind of boring battle. I felt I needed to insert some girls fighting, so I kinda exchanged "Otousan" with "Panda". Yeah, my naming sense sucks. I'm not going to change any of the other guys from the main teams to girls... maybe... hmmm...
> 
> And I promise another chapter tomorrow (I'm in Pacific Time Zone). Then another one the next day, just to make up for a long wait. I'll do my best to update often, now that I have some free time before I become bombarded again with real life responsibilities...
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> **Formal Clan Battle Challenge ******= Battle between Clans outside Dungeons, and usually set up formally in the Battle Arena found in the Imperial City. Formal challenges could range from friendly casual battles, to fighting for an Artifact that a Clan wants, if trade is not possible.
> 
>  
> 
> **Unidad (SPN. _Unity_ ) Clan**  
> Base of operations: Neuvo City (SPN. _new_ )  
> Leader: Unnamed  
> Number of currently active members: 50+  
> Predominant Classes: Warriors and Sorcerers  
> Clan Rank: IV  
>  **Squad ζ, Team 1**  
>  Squad Leader: Unnamed  
> Team Captain: Tanimura Yuusuke  
> Number of active members: 6  
> Predominant Classes: Mixed  
> Team Rank: III
> 
>  
> 
> **Class Types  
> **  
>  **Knight** = a cross of a Warrior and Guard, with very high strength and defense, with sometimes speed. But their strength and defense are inferior to a pure Warrior or Guard. They are proficient in battling with various weapons, or hand to hand combat, along with a shield. They are known also for conjuring strong shields and barriers. Some could also conjure at least one elemental attack.  
>  ** _Kagami Taiga_**  
>  Class: Knight  
> Abilities: Fire conjuring and manipulation, healing, barriers, swordsmanship...  
> Costume Ref: http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/114/640x768_19725_Reina_Concept_2d_fantasy_girl_knight_picture_image_digital_art.jpg  
> ( _but then I also like this one too, maybe a second costume that will be for later?_ ) http://vi.sualize.us/woman_knight_character_female_2d_picture_sEPS.html


	7. The Legendary Veterans

The town was different, decorated with all things nearly white, silver and gold. There were streamers, confetti, balloons, glowing romantic lights, lots of sparkling trinkets being sold, various dishes being made in large quantities, but most of all, these beautiful silver-white flowers were everywhere. It was like the town of Espoir was hit by a storm, nearly blanketed by the petals of the gorgeous flowers.

According to Kagami's sempai, they were called "Moon Blossoms", only native to the OW, especially for the settlements located in the north of the country. Their town of Espoir, situated on the area they were found, had four seasons, and they were based on the blooming of these special flowers. The Moon Blossoms came out during Spring, and it was a big deal for the residents of OW, that they celebrate it and make it a festival every start of the spring season (even though back on Earth it was barely becoming summer).

"As you know, before building up a settlement, and becoming an officially established Clan, we had to choose a God from OW that we would represent, and gain favor and blessing from." Aida explained, as she was browsing through the cloth selection. She would run her fingers through the edges, then looked up at the tall red head, before going to another roll of cloth. "Etoile Clan chose the Goddess of light, harmony, peace and happiness, Lux."

"Yeah, that big giant statue in the temple." Kagami replied.

Aida perked up, and smiled. "Oh, so you finally went in there, huh?" Then she went back to her task. "But, yes, she's the one that's in this town's temple that the Phasma worship. I guess religion is important here in OW for the residents, that's why it is one of the requirements for Clans to choose a God for the Phasma."

The brunette tugged on a silvery-white cloth, and raised it up with her two hands. "For the Phasma, they believe that the blooming of the Moon Blossoms meant that their Goddess was smiling down at them, bringing them those beautiful flowers, with happiness and peace showering down on them. So it's pertinent that we as a Clan host the festival for the city we are sworn to protect, under the name of their Goddess they believe in." She smiled widely, and pulled on three different rolls of cloth. "To them, we are like Demi-Gods, or so to speak. So we make them happy by showing that their Goddess listening to them, by giving them festivals, while protecting this town." Aida dumped the rolls of cloth into the waiting arms of the Phasma that owned the store.

"So... it's like that Sakura Viewing thing that I heard about back in Japan... right?" Kagami carefully asked.

The older girl turned to the tall red head, and smiled, nodding her head. "You could say it's like that." Then she frowned, and placed her hands on her hips. "And don't tell me you haven't been to a Sakura Viewing event either!" Kagami rubbed the back of her head. The brunette proceeded in lecturing the girl about embracing her culture, and that next year she will drag the red head out to one with all the other Clan members back at home.

Night came, with the moon high, big and round, brightly lighting up the dark sky with the stars. Aida ran through the crowd of Phasma, dragging the tall red head behind her. "I'm going to get an earful from the boys about being late. Just because we're girls and we want to look nice. Geez!" Aida grumbled. Kagami sighed, not wanting to voice that she wasn't actually a girl, and didn't care for dressing up.

The two only females of the Etoile Clan were dressed in the Other World finest silk robes. The design was close to a very modernized ancestral Asian noble styled clothing. Kagami felt awkward, having to wear a dress that wasn't part of her everyday battling outfit that the OW chose for her to wear. However, she was impressed on how fast the Phasma worked on finishing a whole outfit in just under an hour.

The Clan gathered at the town center, in front of the temple. Aida made a speech to the Phasma of Espoir, as she was the leader of the Clan. Kagami was half listening, as she admired the decorations, and the Phasma that were dressed up in their finest, though not as grand looking and brightly dressed as the Etoile Clan.

Soon the party started, and there was a big fire at the center, where people were dancing. Kagami made sure to eat all the food she could taste, while observing her Clansmen dancing around the fire. The girl sat far away, snacking on some food. Sitting beside her was Kuroko, drinking a sweet drink. They silently stared up the sky, as fireworks shot up in the air and the beautiful silver-white petals raining down upon them like confetti.

"Having fun, Kagami-kun?" The usually silent light blue haired boy spoke up.

The red head hummed, and swallowed the food that was in her mouth. "Well, I never joined something like a festival before. So I guess so."

"That's good." Kuroko took a sip of his drink.

There was a glittering fondness in Kagami's eyes. "I wish that everyone is like this, happy and always having fun in this little town." She grinned, narrowing her eyes with determination. "We're just going to have to work hard to protect this place."

Kuroko secretly smiled, then had a far away look, staring at the stars and watching the petals fall. The red head noticed, and leaned her chin on her hand, with her elbow propped on her knee. “Something wrong?” She wondered out loud.

“No... it's just... it has been a while since I have joined such a peaceful festivity as this.” The blue head replied lightly. Kagami furrowed her brows. She was about to say something, but quickly kept her mouth closed, knowing not to ever pry the boy about his past.

However, her partner spoke out. “I do not remember when the simple festivities became insignificant to winning battles.” His eyes glazed, as if seeing a scene of the past before him. “It was never for peace, harmony or unity... it was all for victory and power, survival of the fittest...”

“Is that why you really left?” Kagami murmured, watching the high flames from the giant bonfire. She looked down at her lap, and finished the last bite of her food.

“Kiseki Clan was the strongest... said to have become an empire.” Kuroko told. “Battle upon battle, victory was always hallow, and I have became numb.” The boy shook his head. “But here, it is different. I finally remembered the reason to why I fight, and found purpose as a Chosen.” He turned and looked at the red head. “The Kiseki Clan is in the past, and Etoile Clan is now for me. And all I want is to fight to protect.” He raised his head, and his blue eyes lighted up watching the scene before him. The familiar faces of his current clansmen were laughing together, and the town seemed to glow with bright colors that he had missed. “To protect this town, my Clan, and my friends.”

Kagami grinned, and raised a hand, curling her fingers to form a fist. “Well, we still have our promise to each other, and we're going to fight to protect, together, right?”

Kuroko smiled at the girl, and bummed fists with the girl. “Of course.”

“Hey! Don't keep sitting around!” Aida came up to the girl, and grabbed Kagami's wrist. “Come on! Come on! You have to dance with me and the others!”

“Huh!? But I can't-” Her protests went unheard, as their leader dragged her to the center of the celebration.

Kuroko's smile remained, watching. ' _But most of all... I want to protect you._ '

 

* * *

 

With a big grin, Aida jabbed her pointer finger at the blinking spot on the three dimensional map. "Today, I feel a bit adventurous for your team and believe you'll need a challenge, so you will be conquering Dungeon S82!" She exclaimed excitedly. There were stunned and disbelief expressions from the two older males, Hyuuga and Izuki,

Kagami furrowed her brows, slightly tilting her head. "Is there something special about this Dungeon?" She questioned, slightly squinting as she stared at the blinking dot on the map.

"That specific Dungeon has been on the map for a long time, even before I became a Chosen." Kuroko spoke up, glancing over at his partner. "It is said to be very hard to conquer, being in the Other World for a long time, and no one was able to claim the Artifact."

The red head looked over at the light haired boy. "And in your old Clan, did you try to conquer it?" She wondered.

Kuroko shook his head. "Our squad leader says it was a lost cause and a waste of time, so our team never bothered with it." He replied.

Suddenly a heavy hand slapped hard against the tall red head's back. "Nothing to worry about, since we have an ace up our sleeve!" Aida exclaimed proudly. "A Dungeon like that must mean that there is a super rare Artifact, just waiting to be claimed! With Kagami, Etoile will definitely conquer that Dungeon, and then," the brunette threw her hand up, and pointed towards the sky. "Etoile Clan would be known throughout OW!!!"

Hyuuga sighed in second hand embarrassment. He looked up at the two younger members present. "Plus, though it's a low ranked Dungeon, it's most likely filled with very easy monsters. It's just the labyrinth inside that makes it very difficult." He told his assigned team of the day.

Kagami grinned widely, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I can't wait what we'll find!"

 

* * *

 

The four selected members from Etoile Clan – Hyuuga, Izuki, Kagami and Kuroko – stood at the entrance of the Dungeon. The Dungeon was located within the mountains, and built as if it was made from the earth of the mountains and lands. It was like a stone castle, embedded into the mountain side, with many openings that looked to be glass-less windows and door-less entrances. Only the entrance had a giant double wooden door, with golden bolts and golden round handles.

" _Careful, it looks like there are already some Clans inside._ " Aida warned them.

Hyuuga rolled his shoulders. "Don't worry. It would be better if we avoid them, than confront them, if need be." He mostly gave a look towards their tall female fighter. The bespectacled male placed his hand on the door, and the light portal opened in front of them.

The inside was made out of stone, with some moss growing at the corners. When they came upon a big room, it brightly lighted up, with torches all around, and a big opening in the ceiling at the middle of the circular room. There were twelve dark archway entrances, including the one they just came from, with no way to tell where it led to.

Izuki looked over at the red haired girl, and pointed forward. "This is why no one could navigate their way through here. There are a lot of possible ways to choose from." He explained. Kagami blinked, and looked around.

"That's not the only reason." A voice spoke from behind. The four Etoile members became alert and cautious, quickly turning around, only to have a look of surprise on their expressions. There in front of them was the infamous golden haired member of the Miraculous Generals from Kiseki Clan. He gave a small wave, grinning widely. Right beside him was the Team leader of the squad that Kise was from in the Wahr Clan. "Going through any of those pathways would just lead you to more rooms like this one." Kasamatsu finished speaking.

"Kuroko-cchi! Kagami-cchi!" The blond quickly jumped on the pair, hooking each arm around the shoulders of the red head female and light blue head boy. "What a coincidence to be meeting here!" He chirped with excitement.

Kasamatsu sighed at the younger male, then turned to the bespectacled leader of the Etoile Team. "You don't have to worry about any competition. We're not after the Artifact from here." He explained, letting the other two older members of Etoile feel a little at ease. He saw their questioning looks. "Since your team defeated ours, our team got demoted to Third in our squad, so our responsibilities changed. I'm sure you understand."

Kise grinned, Kagami and Kuroko still within his hold. "We're only after the infinite treasures in this Dungeon."

Izuki went into a thinking pose. "Ah, as I recall from the stories of this specific Dungeon, not only known for being unconquerable, this place seems to produce endless treasures found within."

Kasamatsu nodded, and pointed to an archway to the side. "Many other Clans before us have come and go, making marks to point out where the treasure rooms are, so that they could always come back here." Kagami noticed little black marks beside a certain entrance way. "I'm not sure if you already know this, but when one goes through a certain pathway, you will always walk out into the same room, like you just came back to the beginning, if you choose the wrong pathway."

Izuki hummed with interest. "Guess that's just one of those mysterious phenomenon of a Dungeon." He remarked.

Looking around, Kagami closed her eyes. "I think I can see the treasure rooms..." She murmured softly to herself.

Kise, who was close to her, perked at what the girl said. He released Kuroko, and inched his face closer to the tall girl. "Hm? What do you mean?" He became curious about the girl. Kagami nearly choked from the closeness, and her face was burning as she tried to back away from the blond. The boy was suddenly jabbed hard at his side, backing away from the red head as he was clutching his aching side. "K-Kuroko-cchi..."

The blue haired boy was sending dark waves. "It is impolite to invade the personal space of a lady..." He hissed.

The blond was pulled back by his collar. Kasamatsu sighed, and glared at his underclassman. "We'll be on our way now to get as much of the treasure as we could, before your Clan supposedly conquers this place."

"If it's Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi, I believe they will!" Kise chirped, wincing slightly as an after affect from the jab to his side.

"The only ones to conquer this Dungeon would be us." A voice spoke up.

All attention turned to a new group of people. There were five of them. The most impressive one was the green haired male that seemed to stand out more than his Clan. Hyuuga, Izuki and Kasamatsu recognized the elder members, having ran into them in the past.

One male, with light colored hair, combed his fingers through his hair. “Don't be rude. You can't just say those things, without saying who you are.” He glared at the tall green haired male.

The tallest among them had spiky dark hair, and an intense serious stare. He took a step in front of his team. “Please excuse our kohai. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Team One of Squad μ (Mu) from Animus Clan.” He bowed his head politely. The shortest among the group grinned widely, while giving a small wave.

“ _ Oh man, Animus Clan is one of the oldest Clans of OW in Japan, also known as a Veteran Clan, coming out through various wars in the past. _ ” Aida warned the team. “ _ And let's not forget their performance in the Bronze Summer Tournaments, especially with their team captain before us. _ ”

Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes. “I remember you, one of the known team captains from Animus, Ootsubo Taisuke.”

Kise smiled and lighted up in recognizing the green haired male. “Midorima-cchi!”

Kagami raised a brow at the tall green head. “That's Midorima Shintarou... a former member of the Kiseki Clan, and a Miraculous General like Kise-kun.” Kuroko spoke beside the girl. The red head frowned, and carefully eyed the tall bespectacled male. She missed the secret glance that Kuroko and Kise shared after watching their former clansman.

Hyuuga frowned, and narrowed his eyes. ' _Another Miraculous General. This can't be good..._ ' He glanced over at his female member in the current team. His eyes nearly bugged out when he saw the girl step up in front of the tall boy, with a narrowed scrutinizing gaze. She was tilting her head around, as if looking at every aspect of the tall male, then snorted. Hyuuga felt a blood vessel pop. ' _What the hell are you doing Kagami!?_ '

The girl had a smirk, with her hands on her hips. She straightened her back, and crossed her arms. “You don't look that impressive, even if you are said to be a Miraculous General.” Hyuuga and Kise blanched at the bold girl.

“Kagami-cchi...” The blond reached out, calling her in a nervous warning.

The red head then thrust her arm out forward, pointing directly at the boy. “Remember it well, I'm Kagami Taiga, and I will be the one to beat your ass if we ever engage in a fight.” She grinned widely. “There's no way we'll allow you guys to take our Artifact!” Then the girl got hit hard at the back of her head, and was dragged back by her team leader, being scolded.

Takao was holding his stomach, laughing. “Wow! She's too much!” He was slapping the back of Midorima's arm. The green haired male narrowed his eyes at the red head.

Kuroko noticed something fall to the floor, seeing a small cute teddy bear dressed in a karate outfit. “Excuse me, but you dropped something.” He picked it up, and gave it to the bespectacled boy. The rest of Etoile looked incredulous at seeing the toy being handed to the green head. The light blue haired boy looked up at his past clansman. “All you are good at is predictions, Midorima-kun. But you would not know the outcome unless you experience the moment. So do not just count us out just yet.” His empty eyes pierced through the taller male. “You will see that the ideals of the past are wrong, and that protecting and fighting for the weak is the correct motive of a Chosen.”

Midorima frowned. “As I thought, we cannot get along.” He adjusted his glasses, clutching on to the toy bear in his other hand. “Then try to get there before us, to the Artifact, and then maybe I would acknowledge that feeble belief of yours.” There was a tense silence than came between the two former clansmen.

Kasamatsu sighed, and grabbed the back of Kise's vest. “As much as I'd like to watch a match between the known veteran Clan of Animus go against Etoile, we have our own missions to complete.” He started to tug on the tall blond member of his.

“Eh!?” Kise whined. “But, I wanted to watch, and I was able to see my friends again!” He cried. “Kuroko-cchi, Kagami-cchi! Kick Midorima-cchi's ass!” He shouted before the pair disappeared through a far archway, and the sounds of Kise's cries faded away.

Hyuuga looked towards Ootsubo, and stepped aside. “I'll make this easy on all of us. After you.” He waved a hand out to the side, allowing the bigger team to go ahead of them.

The Animus Clan carefully watched the Etoile team captain, then stepped towards the center, gathering together to discuss their first step of action. Hyuuga was forcefully keeping the red head in place, and for her to not make a sound. The four members of Etoile watched as the five members of their rival Clan decided on a path, and walked through. With a loud sigh, Hyuuga turned to their only female fighter. “So?”

Kagami blinked, and determination quickly came upon her face, with narrowed eyes and lips pressed thinly. “Right.” She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I can see why this place is hard to navigate through. Choosing the wrong door will only lead to circles, or ending up back to the beginning...” She slowly opened her eyes. “So... you'll trust me to lead you through to the Artifact?”

Hyuuga had to slap the back of the girl's head again. “Idiot, we've been trusting you since the beginning, and know how your instincts are never wrong.” Izuki smiled, and Kuroko nodded his head.

The girl flushed, and rubbed the back of her head. Then she pointed to an archway across from them, different from the ones that their rival clans have chosen before them. “That way. And make sure to stick close.”

 

* * *

 

To the others, the path they were going seemed like they were just going back to the same room, even if they were going through different archway paths. From one entrance, they seemed to exit from a different one, back to the same looking room. For some strange reason, they haven't ran into any monsters, or came face to face with a trial. The room they enter just stayed the same. Hyuuga was temped to leave a mark somewhere, to see if they even moved away from that exact same circular room with several archways beside each other, thinking that each archway path were making circle around each other. The bespectacled male wanted to make a comment about walking through about five times, but held his tongue. But the concentrated look of their female fighter allowed them to believe that she would lead them to that Artifact.

The four walked out from the archway back into the circular room. The girl suddenly stopped, and then turned around. “Let's go back.” She said, breaking the intense silence among them.

Hyuuga looked skeptical. “Are you sure?” He had to ask.

Kagami nodded, and everyone turned around without protest. They went back from where they came from. As the darkness passed through from the tunnel, a light was at the end. When they came out through the entrance way, they were in a different place, no long in the same circular room with endless paths. They found themselves in an indoor jungle temple, with high stone walls, and crawling with vines. There were jungle flora, planted in the room, with a dirt pathway leading through the center.

“Finally! This must mean we're close to the Heart Chamber, right?” Izuki looked relieved. “I don't know what I would have done, going in circles. I would have lost my mind.”

Hyuuga snorted. “I think you've already lost it when you started reading those ridiculous pun books.

Izuki pouted. “Hey! Those are classics.”

“Well, well, I guess you were right to have followed them, Midorima.” A voice spoke from behind them. The four members of Etoile turned around, and were face to face with the Animus Clan. They all became cautious with their rivals and opponents within their view.

Hyuuga frowned. “What's this? Cheating by following your opponents? Must mean you guys have no faith in your sense of direction, and admit that we're good, because of seeing our success rates in conquering Dungeons.”

Midorima adjusted his glasses higher. “According to Oha-Asa, Cancers are to follow Aquarius to be able to reach our goals.” He looked at the shortest member of the Etoile Clan. “Since I know of one who is of such sign, I had fate that he would lead us to the Artifact.”

Hyuuga and Izuki looked at each other, as if the person in front of them was crazy. “Oha-Asa what the heck is that?” “What does horoscopes have to do with this?”

Ootsubo went into a stance, and a big double edged sword appeared in his hand. “I apologize, that it may not be our usual style, but I only allowed it once, as advised to forgive three of this kohai's whims a day.” He raised his sword. “But I also want to commend you, Etoile Clan, for your hard work, and thank you for leading us this far. However, it looks like we're going to have to fight for that Artifact.” The other members of Animus had their weapons out, and were standing guarded.

“ _Team I, Squad Mu: Ootsubo, Class Knight. He has pretty high defense, and I believe he is great with his sword too. Miyaji is a Warlock, having higher class spells than you, Izuki, so watch out. Kimura is a Warrior, and pretty light on his feet, despite his large appearance. I would be careful with that Sorcerer, Takao, seeing as he's a first year in high school and able to make it into a high leveled squad with the other three third year high school students. Then there is Midorima, a Hunter and a Miraculous General._ ” They heard Aida analyze for them.

The sounds of rustle and strange noises caught everyone's attention. They all looked up and saw rabid looking monkeys climbing down the vines from the opening of the ceiling. They had glowing red eyes, and razor sharp teeth that looked to have easily shredded through the leaves and vines.

Hyuuga looked down at his team with alert. “We're not going to stand here!” Then took off, with his members running behind him without a word.

Ootsubo clicked his tongue, and swung his sword down at the monster monkey. “Don't let them reach that Heart Chamber!” He barked, and the others shouted with affirmation, fighting through the swarm of monsters that were raining down on them.

A knife was thrown in front of the red haired girl, stopping a flying monkey from attacking her face from the side. Kagami turned her head, and grinned at the boy beside her. “Thanks, Kuroko.”

The light haired boy gave a small grin, as he took a side swipe with his dagger, taking down another monster. “I got your back, Kagami-kun.” From behind the giant sword cut down, taking out three monkeys that were about to jump the boy. Kuroko glanced back, and then looked up at the red head.

“Yeah, well I got yours too.” The girl smirked, and then turned to follow behind Hyuuga and Izuki. She was slashing her way through the jumping and flying tricky monsters.

The Etoile Clan came upon a fork, with the dirt path splitting into three separate ways. They could see three giant double doors at the ends of the paths. Hyuuga turned to the tall girl, raising his rifle and shooting down a monster behind the girl. “Kagami, which way?” He shouted, and shot down three monsters falling from above.

With a battle cry, Kagami swung her blazing sword, cutting down all the monsters within her reach. The in coming monsters seemed to have dwindled down. She stood up straight and looked between the three big doors. She was about to answer, but then the grounds shook beneath them. Out came big twines of wood, that latched on to the four member's limbs. Kuroko frowned. “It is Midorima-kun. He has control of the element of wood.” He cut the vine like wood with his dagger, to get himself free. “They are trying to stop us from getting to that Heart Chamber.”

Kagami swung her sword, freeing her teammates, and then narrowed her eyes, seeing Animus Clan closely approaching them. She then turned her head, and pointed at the northern path. “There! Hurry in there!” She shouted.

“Restrain!”

Magic circles appeared beneath the four members of Etoile, stopping them in their path, and then wooden vines shot out again, and wrapped around them, pulling them down to the dirt floor. They started to struggle free. Kuroko frowned, and looked up to see the Animus Clan running towards the direction that Kagami pointed out.

“Damnit!” Hyuuga cursed.

Takao walked by, and smiled playfully. “No hard feelings.”

Midorima stopped close to Kuroko. “This is why you can't win. It has already been foreseen, especially when you hold on to that weak belief that victory and erasing the weak is not the purpose of Chosen.” He narrowed his eyes at the boy on the floor, who looked up with his blank eyes. “Only the strongest can survive, and it looks like you and your Clan is not going to survive.” Then he walked away.

Hyuuga and Izuki watched with gritted teeth when the doors opened, and there was a bright flood of light. They had to turn away, before the giant double doors closed, and they were able to see properly again. Then the magic circles disappeared, and the vines receded back, freeing them. Hyuuga pounded a fist against the ground, before quickly scrambling up and running after the Animus Clan.

“Wait, Sempai!” Kagami shouted. The three males turned towards their female fighter. She pointed towards the path to the left. “The real Heart Chamber is this way.”

Everyone felt the tension melt away, and they were able to relax with lighter moods. Hyuuga jumped to hook his arm around the tall girl's shoulders, and pulled her down as he vigorously rubbed her head. “Who would have thought you had it in you? Good thinking, Kagami!”

“You fooled us, to also fool our opponents.” Izuki grinned, giving her a thumbs up. “I'm amazed that you even thought that far, Kagami.”

The girl pouted and huffed. “I'm not an idiot.” She muttered.

“I'm curious, where did the Animus Clan end up going?” Izuki questioned.

“That door lead back to the outside of this Dungeon. The other one is just a room with waves of monsters. And if they defeat them, you'll just end up in a treasure room, then back to the exit.” Kagami replied.

Kuroko gave a small smile and patted her shoulder. “Glad that you are with us, Kagami-kun, and we could rely in your ability to guide us.” The girl turned her head to the side, hiding her blush, while scratching her cheek. Then the group headed to the other giant double doors, and opened it. A flash of light flooded the area, and they were gone.

Coming out from the trees, Midorima and Takao walked towards the middle of the fork, staring at the double doors the Etoile Clan went into. The shorter male whistled, and crossed his arms behind his head. “Really, that very pretty girl is not for show. She has some really interesting abilities.” He raised a brow, and looked up at his partner. “How did you know that she was tricking us, Shin-chan?” He recalled before going through the doorway, Midorima pulled on his belt, stopping him from following their Sempai, and pulled him to the side among the trees to be hidden.

The tall green haired teen narrowed his eyes. “That girl was the only one not struggling or looking devastated. She was actually smirking as she watched us. Unlike her noisy character, who would be raging that we would best them.” He replied.

“Aw, you seem to be observing her closely, even though you claim that she is nothing and a waste of time.” Takao chuckled, then slapped the other boy's shoulder. “You're such a Tsundere. And there is no denying it, she is kinda easy on the eyes, you know.”

The tall male flushed a bit, and glared at the shorter male. “Shut up, Takao. Let's hurry and get that Artifact.” He walked away.

Takao was holding his laugh, watching his partner. “I hope the Sempai won't be that mad at us for acting on our own.” He hurried after the green haired male.

 

* * *

 

Ruby eyes opened, and in front of the red head was a big open room, with a high ceiling that had a big opening at the center. There were a few vines hanging and scaling the stone walls. Kagami stood with her team upon a wide bridge, that lead to a wide platform in the center of the big room. To the far end was a set of stairs, leading to their prize, glittering brightly, untouched, on top of a high pedestal. The platform was surrounded by an endless pit of darkness, with no idea where it would lead, if one was to fall off from the bridge or platform. There were no rails to prevent anyone from slipping off the edge.

“It's been years since this Dungeon had appeared in OW, and imagine that no one has ever set foot in this Heart Chamber.” Izuki looked at the red head. “You just made it look easy to reach, Kagami.”

Hyuuga rolled his shoulders. “Yeah, well, from all the other Dungeons we have been through, you know it's never that easy.” His rifle appeared in his hands, and he went into a defensive stance. “We still have some business to take care of.”

A faint roar echoed in the room, coming from the depths of the darkness. The group became tense, with weapons in hand, while carefully surveying their surroundings of where the Dungeon Guardian would appear. A shadow flew overhead, and everyone craned their necks to see a long figure that dived back into the pits at the other side of the bridge.

Hyuuga clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Great, looks like this will be an irritating one.”

“Aw, but I thought these kinds of monsters were your favorite, Hyuuga.” Izuki lightly joked. Then the monster rose up again, looking like a cross between a long dragon like snake, with wings and sharp fangs. It was floating around the air, then diving into the deep darkness again.

“ _Guardian Air Draco, a Rank 3 monster._ ” They heard Aida's voice echo in their heads. “ _I'm sure it won't be that hard, seeing as you have been fighting Ranked 3 Guardian monsters before. But be careful of its wind attacks, and I'd advise to attack long ranged. Don't even think of trying to jump up there to hit it. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Kagami-kun!_ ” She berated. The red haired girl rubbed the back of her head, muttering to herself that she wasn't stupid.

“Kagami, you're support.” Hyuuga ordered, as he took aim with his rifle. Kagami pouted a bit, but didn't complain. “If it comes close enough, then you can attack it with your sword.” He powered up, gathering energy, then released a powerful shot, hitting the dragon at its snout. Then an explosion followed. It cried out, then rush towards them. “Don't fall off!” He shouted to his team, and they all prepared to dodge away from the monster. Kuroko threw knives, while Izuki threw some spells to impede the path of the monster.

Kagami widened her eyes, and grinned widely. She took a few steps forward, and stood her ground. She raised her sword, and the others saw. “Idiot!”

Mere inches away, and Kagami swung her sword, infused with fire. The dragon cried out, and slithered into the dark pits. The red head pumped a fist. “No way am I backing down! We got this!” She cheered. The others sighed, but became cautious, as there were low rumbling sounds echoing in the Heart Chamber.

Then four raging tornadoes formed, and started to circle around the chamber. “Damnit Kagami! You made it angrier!” Kagami raised her hand, and a dome barrier appeared, lessening the wind attack. The others stuck close, watching as the tornadoes hit, and they winced at the sharp sound of the attack hitting the barrier. The red head gritted her teeth, holding up the spell.

Izuki narrowed his eyes. “Keep holding it up, Kagami.” He raised his staff, and closed his eyes. The teen started to glow with a small film of silver light. Then one of the tornadoes started to move at a different direction, swallowing up the others and creating a bigger one. Then Izuki threw his hand out to the side, the wind attack was gone. The boy sighed out in relief. “Glad we didn't get swept away.”

Kuroko admired the older teen. “I forgot, you are able to manipulate wind.” He stated.

The dragon flew up, coming back into view. “It's not over yet.” Hyuuga raised his rifle again. “We'll just have to lure it towards us, so Kagami could hit it. He gives the most damage.”

“I suggest we kept it grounded then.” Kuroko spoke, as he twirled a knife in his hand.

Izuki raised his staff. “Then I guess we're in more need of an extra kick.” He waved is staff, and everyone was sprinkle with silver glittering lights. “There we go.”

Kagami always felt a bit funny when Izuki casts an enhancing spell, allowing all of them to gain extra speed, strength and defense. She doesn't complain, as it did help in some tough situations. She started to glow with a red aura, and in her hand formed a ball of fire. “Take that thing down, right? With long range attacks.”

“That is what we have been saying since the beginning, idiot.” Hyuuga released a barrage of bullets at the dragon that was sailing through the air. The monster was having trouble dodging at the quick successions of attacks thrown at it. Kuroko seemed to have disappeared, but there were signs that he was still present by the throwing of knives that seemed to have been embedded on the scaly body of the monster. Izuki was trying to keep the monster away, blowing it away by trying to use its wind magic against it. “Like what Kuroko is saying, disable the monster by taking out its wings, then it will be grounded and easier for you to hit it.”

The red head then threw balls of fire, one after the other at the monster, carefully trying to aim at the monster's wings. A ball of fire hit the dragon on it's face, temporarily blinding it and causing it to cry and wiggle around. Hyuuga powered up, and took a shot. Kagami followed with a blast of fire and there was a rain of knives that trailed behind. The monster cried out more, as its wings bore holes. It started to lose its ability to stay up in the air, and was crashing towards them. “Don't stop, keep hitting it!” Hyuuga shouted, as he continued to shoot with his rifle.

Then the dragon hit the center platform, and Kagami didn't hesitate to take off running towards the dragon with her giant sword. Izuki waved his staff, and a magic circle appeared below the dragon, causing it to be paralyzed. A shadow spell came crashing down upon the dragon, causing it to squirm and make a strange agonizing sound. Kagami leaped up high, and was blaring with her red aura. “This is it! FLAME STRIKE!”

Hyuuga and Izuki gave each other high fives, after the dragon blew up into dust from defeat. They started to jog across the bridge to where Kagami landed, at the center of the platform. Kuroko seemed to have appeared, and came up to her to check on her. “Great job, Kagami.” He commended, giving her a pat on her shoulder. The red head flashed a big smile at the shorter boy.

“Go and get that Artifact!” Hyuuga shouted, as he and Izuki nearly reached the center platform. Kuroko and Kagami nodded and turned to head to the case of stairs, leading to their prize.

“Wood Restraints.”

Bursting out from the stone floors, long wood like vines flailed around, before tightly wrapping around the four members of Etoile, and keeping them in place. They all struggled to turn their heads to see the instigator. All of them were shocked to see two members from the Animus Clan, standing there in front of the big double doors.

“Midorima-kun?” Kuroko suddenly felt an ill feeling in his chest at the sight of his former clansmen.

“It was a good trick on your part, but your reactions couldn't have fooled me.” The green head narrowed his eyes at the red haired girl.

“It was too late to warn our Sempai, but I guess just us two will do to represent our team.” Takao smiled widely.

Kagami was shaking with anger, watching the pair from their rival clan. “You bastards...” She growled.

A strange rumbling sound could be heard, and everyone quickly became silent. The floors began to tremble, and some dust came loose from the ceiling. Hyuuga widened his eyes, and craned his neck to look at the wide opening in the ceiling. “Don't tell me... another Guardian...?” He murmured.

“It's not very common... but as a Dungeon that has stood for a long time in OW, it could have adapted a second Guardian...” Izuki replied, narrowing his eyes as the vibrations of the floor intensified.

All attention was turned to above, as they watched as a swarm of monsters came crawling down from the ceiling, and scaling the walls. The noise was more wild, and rabid. The monsters were more vicious looking than the monkey monsters they faced in the previous room. They were bigger, and with claws. Kagami quickly cut through the vines, freeing herself and Kuroko. The shorter boy threw his knives to free his Sempai. Then the monsters leaped across the big gap of the dark pits.

With a battle cry, Kagami slashed her giant sword across, easily cutting down a handful of giant monkeys. Kuroko was dancing with his daggers, cutting down the monsters that dared to get near him and Kagami, while throwing knives to help out his sempai that were at a distance from them. The two older members of Etoile were fairing well, fighting together.

Midorima narrowed his eyes, and a medium length barreled gun appeared in his hand. “Takao, we're going for that Artifact.” He stated lowly, before running forward, while unleashing quick successions of shots at each monkey that got in the way. Every hit was dead center at the forehead, and it would burst into dust in a mere second. The shorter male was tailing closely behind, with a pair of his own unique daggers in hand, slashing his way through.

When the pair ran past Kagami and Kuroko, the pair widened their eyes, knowing that the other pair used the distraction of the flood of monsters to get the Artifact. Izuki turned around. “Kagami, Kuroko, stop them! Don't worry about us, we'll be fine!” He shouted, as he cut down two monsters with his spear.

The red head and her partner looked at one another, before chasing after the Animus Clan pair. Midorima could hear the others behind, with Kagami loudly giving a battle cry, as she cut her way through the monsters. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and turned around, allowing Takao to run past him and start climbing the stairs. He raised his gun, and narrowed his forest green eyes. “I never miss.” He murmured, then pulled the trigger.

Kuroko widened his eyes, and turned to the girl, reaching his hand out to the girl. “Kagami-kun!”

The girl raised her hands up above her head, summoning a shield spell. There was a sharp booming sound as the bullet hit the protection spell. Kagami felt her hands tremble by the force of the shot. She was shaking her hands from her sides, trying to stop the tingling. ' _What was that?_ ' She looked up, and widened her eyes. Takao was reaching out to touch the glowing Artifact. “DUNGEON CLAN BATTLE!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN:** I was debating on putting the epic battle in this chapter, and just make it a really long chapter that would be 10,000+ words, but then decided against it. You'll just get another chapter right after this one. I think my imagination of battles is running low and kind of lacking... sorry... I hope the next chapter would be better... hopefully...
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
>  **Animus ( _LAT. Spirit_ ) Clan**  
> Base of Operations: Fabula ( _LAT. Legend_ ) City  
> Leader: Unnamed  
> Number of currently active members: 100+  
> Predominant Classes: Warriors and Sorcerers  
> Clan Rank: V  
>  ** _Squad Mu, Team 1_**  
>  Squad Leader: N/A  
> Team Captain: Ootsubo Taisuke  
> Number of active members: 5  
> Predominant Classes: Mixed  
> Team Rank: III
> 
>  **Class Types:**  
>  **Warlock** = like a Sorcerer, but are able to conjure elemental magic from thin air. They are also capable of sealing, cursing, and/or mental attacks. They are also known for the use of pure energy to attack, and some have psychokinesis (magic to move things with a wave of a hand). Some that choose to fight physically would use staffs or rods, or light weight weaponry, like knives or daggers.  
>  ** _Miyaji Kiyoshi_**  
>  Class: Warlock  
> Abilities: Psychosis, conjuring wind magic, illusionary magic, wires as weapon
> 
>  ** _Midorima Shintarou_**  
>  Class: Hunter  
> Abilities: N/A  
> Costume Ref: (http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/355/b/1/gunslinger_by_lionheart_uk-d3cqttq.jpg)
> 
>  ** _Takao Kazunari_**  
>  Class: Sorcerer  
> Abilities: Hawk eye, very high evasion and agility, enhancement magic, 5 element manipulation, barriers and shields, daggers  
> Costume Ref: (http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/aselia/images/9/93/Mage_(TotW-RM2).png/revision/latest?cb=20100514062541)
> 
>  ** _Ootsubo Taisuke_**  
>  Class: Knight  
> Abilities: swords, barriers and shields, high strength and defense
> 
>  ** _Kimura Shinsuke_**  
>  Class: Warrior  
> Abilities: swords, high strength and speed, illusionary magic immunity


	8. The Sharpshooting General of Kiseki Clan

A bright shine sparked in front of the glittering magical object. A dark haired boy from the opposing Clan was repelled from the Artifact, throwing him from the stair case, and to the floor close to a green haired teen. There was a strange sound, and a sheen of light that surrounded the center platform within the Heart Chamber of the Dungeon.

Hyuuga and Izuki from Etoile Clan turned around to see four first year students, just as the Dungeon monsters started to recede back into the dark pits. The bespectacled raven haired teen frowned. “Two on two battle then.” He pressed his hand against the barrier that prevented them from stepping into the called out Dungeon Battle. He has his fellow clansman were stuck between the double doors, entrance of the Heart Chamber, and the blocked off platform, with dark pits surrounding them.

Midorima frowned. “How annoying.” He muttered. Takao was slowly sitting up, while rubbing his head. “Looks like we have no choice.” He raised his head, watching his troublesome opponents, Kuroko and Kagami. “It's a battle to the death.”

Kagami glared hard. “No one is going to die.” She growled.

“You're a fool if you think that anyone will come out of this alive.” The green haired male pulled off the long bandages that was wrapped around his left hand, and let it fall to the floor. He messaged his left hand, then looked back up with his sharp green eyes. “Only the strongest may live, and the weak shall be erased for victory to be obtained.”

A pair of silver long barreled guns appeared in each of his hands, which were gleaming brightly from the light. They were shorter than Hyuuga's usual rifle, but longer than the medium sized barreled gun that Midorima used previously. He raised his chin slightly, and the two had a small glimpse of the toy bear that seemed to be tied to his belt. Takao was able to stand up, and went into a stance with his daggers in hand. “And it has been predicted that Cancers will be successful today, since they are one of the highest ranked today. Therefore, you, Kuroko, will lose, no matter who your new Light is, or whatever Clan you have chosen to join.” He went into a stance with his weapons in hand.

“There is no use in continuing in talking to you, Midorima-kun.” Kuroko lifted his mask up over his nose, and his daggers appeared in his hands. “We will just have to show you that old way of thinking about our destiny as Chosen are wrong. I will show you and the rest of the other Generals.” Kagami smirked, and went into a stance with her giant sword, feeling excited in battling another Miraculous General.

“Kagami-kun.” The tall female raised a brow, and looked from the corner of her eyes at her partner. “Our opponents are mostly long ranged fighters, a Hunter and a Sorcerer.” Kuroko murmured to the girl.

“Like Hyuuga-sempai and Izuki-sempai.” The red head muttered. The girl huffed, and then smirked. “Guess I'll just have to invade their personal bubbles.” Kuroko gave a hidden smile, and nodded. He ran behind the girl, as she soon rushed towards the pair from Animus Clan.

“This will be fun.” Takao mused, and then glowed in a orange aura. A magic circle appeared below him, and he waved a hand. Light blue glittering lights sprinkled over Midorima, and a film of light blue light encased his silver guns.

With a jerk from his arms, there was a clicking sound, and Midorima raised his guns. Then a round of bullets were unleashed at the coming girl. Kagami widened her eyes, and suddenly stopped in her tracks, raising up her giant sword, using it as a shield. She felt the impact of the hit, and was slightly being pushed back. ' _So strong..._ ' She looked up with surprise that ice started to grow on her sword.

“Takao-kun used an enhancement spell to allow Midorima-kun to use elemental magic attacks with his weapons.” Kuroko explained, standing behind the girl. Kagami clicked her tongue with annoyance. The light blue haired boy saw Takao rushing towards them, with flames surrounding his daggers. “Kagami-kun.”

The girl saw the brunet, and shifted over to swing her sword at him, while Kuroko focused on throwing knives at the tallest male, to counter the bullets being aimed at them.

Takao jumped back, barely missing from being sliced at his stomach by the girl. He ducked down, and took a swipe with his burning daggers. Kagami blocked it with her sword, and smirked. The brunet looked up in surprise. ' _She's absorbing the flames... immunity to fire spells!_ ' He saw something from the corner of his eyes, and then leaped back, just as a barrage of ice bullets came raining down upon the girl.

Kagami raised her hand above her and used a barrier spell. She gritted her teeth from the impact of the shots. ' _More intense than Hyuuga-sempai's attack shots... guess that's why he's a General._ ' She begrudgingly admitted to herself. She saw ice forming on top of her dome shield spell.

“Shin-chan, behind you!” Takao shouted.

Midorima scowled, and used his guns to block the dagger aimed at him. He glanced up and stared into a pair of vacant baby blue eyes. “Kuroko...” He pushed the boy back, and then swung his arms out, using the guns as a close range fighting weapon. “You forgot that I am not weak in close range.” Kuroko was ducking, and dodging the hits from the long guns and some stray bullets. It was like a dance for them, as they took some jabs at one another with their weapons in hand, while evading from being struck. There were bullets being fired, as well as knives being thrown. For the spectators, it was hard to keep up with the two former members of the Kiseki Clan.

Then the guns were suddenly replaced, and long needles appeared in Midorima's hand. He narrowed his eyes, and threw them at the shorter boy. Kuroko leaped back, dodging most of them while he maneuvered around as some struck non-vital areas. The boy began to be surrounded in a dark aura, and he waved a hand. “Shadow Wave.”

Midorima quickly swung his hand upward, glowing in a green aura. Then a wall of thick wooden branches burst out from the floor, and intertwined tightly, blocking the shadow attack. When he dismissed the spell, and the long wooden vines receded back to the ground, the light blue haired boy was gone. The green head growled. “Misdirection.” He hissed, and his long barreled guns appeared in his hands, as he was looking around.

At a close distance, there was Kagami fighting against Takao, the boy swiftly trying to dodge the raging and powerful swings of her giant sword. Silver eyes caught something from the corner of the eye. Takao turned his head. “Shin-chan!” He waved a hand, and a barrier was raised behind the tall green haired teen. When he turned back to his opponent, he was struck hard at his side. The force of the attack shot the boy against the invisible barrier wall around their battle area, preventing him from falling into the dark pits.

The green haired male turned around, just as a barrage of knives were thrown at his direction, hitting against the shield spell. Midorima quickly raised his guns, and started firing, finally catching Kuroko within his sight. “Got you.” He powered up one of his guns, and unleashed the shot that finally hit the boy, sending him against the invisible wall. Kuroko silently hissed, and pressed a hand to his wounded shoulder.

Kagami widened her eyes, and then grew angry. She charged at the tall male, giving out a loud battle cry. “You bastard!”

Midorima grunted, and raised his guns. “Simpleminded fool.” He released rounds of bullets at the girl. Kagami raised her sword as a shield, and struggled to keep on rushing towards the boy. She gave an angry cry, and blared with flames.

“Flame Blast!” The fire spell blasted from the girl, towards the tall male.

Midorima barely dodged, feeling the heat of the attack, and the pressure of the force against the shield that his partner cast on him, that was still in effect. He watched as the raging flames slammed against the invisible wall, and crawled up to the opening in the ceiling. Then golden glittering lights sprinkled down on him, and currents of electricity formed around his weapons. Midorima looked over to see Takao struggling to stand erect, while holding his bleeding side with one hand. The green haired boy turned his attention back at the girl, and started to fire the rounds of electric infused bullets.

Kagami winced when the static bit her, through her sword used as a shield from the shots. She growled, and then crouched low, before leaping up high. A trail of bullets followed after her. Midorima craned his neck, and scowled at the girl. The red head landed in front of her partner, and quickly cast a barrier spell.

Kagami hastily knelt beside her partner, checking up on him. She frowned at the blood coming from the boy. “Think you still have some fight in you?” She asked. Her hand began to glow in a white aura, and she waved it over the boy's wounds.

Kuroko felt the pain dull, and his wounds close. He looked up at the girl, and gave a small smile. “I was just caught off guard.” He replied, and was helped up by the tall girl. “And thank you.” Kagami gave a small nod with a smile, before turned to glare at the sharpshooting General. Midorima seemed to have stopped in his attacks, watching the pair. Takao came up beside him. The taller teen waved a hand, and the bleeding stopped for the raven haired boy. “Kagami-kun, I think it is time to bring out the big guns.” A smirk grew on the red haired girl's lips.

“She's really peculiar, showing abilities that goes beyond a normal Knight class.” Takao mused. He winced a bit from the dulled pain. Then he glanced up at the green head beside him. “Then again, you're not normal either. Guess it comes with being a Miraculous General.”

There was a grunt in reply, and Midorima threw his guns to the side. Newer guns appeared, a darker gray metal, and a smoother design than the last pair. Takao blinked several times, confused and wary of the small film of a dark aura surrounding these newer weapons. “Stand back Takao.” The taller male ordered in a low tone. In front of them, the red haired girl was charging at them with her giant sword in her hands.

Kagami quickly leaped high into the air, causing the Animus Clan pair to crane their necks to follow the girl. They missed seeing the small crater the girl left from her jump. Then she came directly on top of them, and started to fall down like a meteor with break neck speed. Midorima narrowed his eyes, and raised one gun, aimed at her. Then he started firing. Kagami pulled her sword to shield the attacks, the powerful shots slowing down her descent, and somewhat pushing her back.

Takao had an inkling feeling, and then lowered his chin. He widened his eyes, and waved his hand, a shield spell raised around them, as waves of shadow spells were cast against them. The raven haired boy struggled to keep them up, feeling the intensity of the attack.

“Takao, Kuroko is stronger than you, as he was formally part of the Kiseki Clan, in the same squad as us.” Midorima muttered.

The raven haired snorted, and then moved with his daggers in hand, blocking the light haired boy, that seemingly appeared out of no where. Takao was grinning at the smaller boy, his silver eyes glinting in the light. Kuroko stared at the other boy, troubled. “Ah, I forgot to mention my special innate ability.” The brunet answered, as if reading the mind of the smaller boy. “I can easily sense the presence of others, and also residue auras. That's how we were able to follow you from a distance. But most of all, my eyes could see past hidden things. Nothing can get past me.” He smiled widely. “My team calls it Hawk Eyes.” He chirped.

“Takao!”

The brunet was shoved to the side, and Midorima jumped away from his spot. Kagami crashed down, creating a wide spread crater upon the stone floor. Dust flew up, and the floor trembled, throwing everyone off balance from the impact.

Kuroko pushed himself up to his hands and knees, and scanned the area. ' _If we're not careful, especially Kagami-kun, the whole battle ground will be destroyed, and we could fall into the pits, along with the Artifact._ ' He thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes, and rushed to his partner. “Kagami-kun!”

The girl turned her head, and found Kuroko reaching out towards her. Eyes narrowed with determination, she grabbed her partner's hand, and their auras blared. A shock-wave shot out, pushing the Animus pair. A big magic circle appeared below them, nearly covering half of the platform they stood on. Simultaneously their hands raised up towards their opponent. White and black were clashing against each other, slowly melding together with ferocity. “Shadow Flare!”

The whole place shook, and loose gravel and vines started to fall from the ceiling of the Heart Chamber. Slowly opening his narrowed green eyes, Midorima scowled, as he slowly stood up. Takao was panting hoarsely, leaning against the invisible wall, with wounds around him. He was wincing, and looked up at the tall green head. ' _That merge spell is never to be taken lightly... it broke through the barrier spell._ ' He glanced over at the Etoile pair, seeing Kuroko slightly bent, with his hands on his knees as he was panting. Kagami was also heaving, but was able to remain standing, with her sword in her hands. ' _This battle is a whole different level..._ ' He looked back to his clansman. ' _What will you do now, Midorima?_ '

“Tell me. What's your sign.” A deep and low voice growled from the green head.

Kagami raised a brow, glowering. “Huh?” She tightened her hold on the hilt of her sword. “Leo. Why?” She gruffly replied.

“ _Cancers, watch out for any Leos you may meet! They're incompatible with your fortune today!_ ”

Irritation boiled. Lifting his guns, Midorima aimed at the girl. “I won't allow simple minded fools to win.” The green head hissed. A dark energy started to gather in the guns, and a powerful shot was released, causing the boy to recoil slightly.

The sound of the gun was loud, causing the walls to slightly vibrate, and dust sprinkled down. Kagami raised her hands, and a barrier spell was cast. She struggled to push back from the attack, gritting her teeth. Then another powerful shot was released. The girl took a few steps towards the General, ignoring the tingling coursing down her arms and hands. Midorima fired again. Kagami heard a crack, and her eyes widened to see her shield breaking. With another shot, her spell shattered like glass in front of her.

The girl raised her sword to block the power shot, and the force pushed her back against the invisible wall. She grunted in slight pain, and then gasped when wooden vines slithered around her arms and legs. It tightened around her, causing her to cringe and lose her grip of her sword. She started struggling against the hold.

“Target locked.” A dark aura slowly surrounded Midorima, and he threw his guns to the side. Then a long rifle appeared in his hands, and he took aim, as dark energy gathered into the barrel. “Victory only comes to the strong, while the weak must perish.” He closed his right eye.

' _No!_ ' Kuroko panicked, and unleashed a powerful shadow attack. “Shadow Chaos!” Takao raised a barrier spell, but the force of the spell slammed the brunet hard against the invisible wall, and shattering his spell. The boy struggled to move, feeling his body trembling by the magic attack, as lingering tendrils of shadows crawled around him. Kuroko rushed towards his partner. ' _Kagami-kun!_ '

“End Shot.” Midorima pulled the trigger, and recoiled back a few inches, his feet skidding against the floor.

Bullet cut through flesh, and blood spattered in front of the horrified red haired girl. Her heart seemed to have stopped when she saw the short light blue haired boy become surrounded by a dark aura, unlike his usual one. Then he got flung back, hitting against the invisible wall. Kuroko slowly slid down, head bowed, and not moving. The cold darkness that seemed to surround him slowly dissipate, as the boy got paler by the second. Kagami felt numb, and she was heaving for air as her vision was blurring. ' _No... not again..._ '

“KUROKO!!!”

 

* * *

 

Golden eyes widened, and Kise jerked his head up, looking above him. His expression morphed to confusion and a cold fear. He shakily raised a hand, and gripped his chest. “What...”

Kasamatsu paused, and turned to look at his kohai. He raised a brow. “Kise, what's wrong?”

The taller male's brows furrowed, and he turned to his upperclassman. “I... I thought I heard someone calling me.” He slowly replied.

There was a flash of light, and the two turned to see a door of light appear to the side of the treasure room. Kasamatsu stared at it with caution and confusion. “That was never mentioned in the database reviews.” He muttered.

Kise scrambled from his crouching position and made his way towards the door. “Someone... is calling me.” He murmured.

“Hey Kise, you idiot! You could be hearing things, and don't just go through doors that just suddenly appear. You don't know where it leads. It could be a trap!” Kasamatsu shouted, getting a bit irritated with his underclassman.

Clenching his hand into a fist, determination formed on his expression. Kise pressed his lips, and narrowed his eyes. “Sorry Sempai, but I have to go.” He stepped through the light.

“Kise!” Kasamatsu quickly went after the blond.

 

* * *

 

The light faded, and slowly sound returned into his ears. Kise opened his eyes, and froze in place when he found himself in a new room. There was a high tension, and the scene of a battle was in place. The ground beneath was unstable. There were scorch marks, indentations from blades, cut up pieces of wooden vines, scattered knives, bullets and needles, and loose rubble. Golden eyes sharply looked up, and saw blurs of green and red dancing around in the confined space, with dark pits surrounding the battle ground. Kise flinched, when a bullet nearly grazed passed his cheek, bouncing off the invisible wall. “What...”

A booming sound attracted his attention, and Kise saw two familiar people, caught in a deadlock. “Kagami-cchi...? Midorima-cchi...?” The green head had his two long guns, crossed to lock the giant sword of the red haired girl's. They were struggling to out power one another, with piercing glares directed at one another. When they both slightly pulled back, they seemed to have disappeared again into blurs of color. Sounds of metals clashing, and bullets being fired could be heard.

A weak cough pulled him away from his awe at watching the two fight, and he gasped when he found another familiar person. “Kuroko-cchi!” Kise ran towards the boy.

From the spot that Kise left, a light shined, and Kasamatsu ran out, the opposite direction from the blond. Hyuuga and Izuki, who were spectating the battle the whole time, stared at the older male that appeared between them. Kasamatsu blinked his eyes, looking around in confusion.

“Kasamatsu-san...?”

The member from Wahr Clan turned around, seeing the two older members from Etoile. “What?” A battle cry caught the three males' attention, and they saw a blast of fire hit against a thick wall of wood, that was slowly being eating by the flames. “Where?” Kasamatsu looked to the side, and saw Kise fall to his knees beside the light blue haired boy from Etoile.

He frowned, and went to run towards the blond, but was rebound back by the invisible barrier around the platform. Izuki and Hyuuga caught him before he fell on his bottom. “What's going on? Where did you two come from?” The bespectacled male questioned, and glanced over at the golden Miraculous General. “How could he appear in the middle of a battle?” His clansman silently frowned, and turned back to watching his female clansman fighting against the green haired General.

“K-Kuroko-cchi...” Kise carefully reached out, and cradled the boy's head to look at his face. There was a trail of blood, leaking from the corner of his mouth. The blond placed a trembling hand against the gaping wound on the boy's abdomen, hoping to stop the bleeding.

The deathly pale face scrunched up with pain, before a pair of light blue eyes opened and looked up into familiar golden ones. “K-Kise...kun...?” Kuroko's vision slowly came to focus on to the blond male hovering above him. Something in Kise's heart faltered at the weak sound from the smaller boy. “W-what are you...?”

“I don't know.” Kise replied, and furrowed his brows. “I heard someone calling me, and then this door of light appeared, and I...”

Kuroko started to cough, pain raking through his body. He slowly turned his head and saw the battle between Kagami and Midorima. His eyes glazed, seeing the dark aura around his former clansman grow bigger and bigger as time passed. Then worry washed over him when he could see exhaustion start to take over Kagami. The rage that fueled her was slowly dwindling, and her attacks and defense were becoming sloppy. Midorima was growing stronger, and more vicious, erasing the former person that Kuroko used to know.

Grabbing the collar of the blond, Kuroko pulled Kise to look straight into his eyes. “Please... please help Kagami-kun.” He wheezed. “I... I will be fine.” There was a desperation in his wide eyes, and Kise's heart clenched. He looked up at the battle, and saw the same thing that the small boy saw. His chest started to tighten, especially when he heard the cry from the red head, as she was shot at her forearm.

“Nature Massacre.”

Black vines shot out from the floor, with sharp thorns. It flailed around wildly, slamming down to hit the girl. Kagami winced, and jumped away, before one vine grabbed her around her waist. The rest then wrapped all around her, and tightened, causing the girl to cry out. Then it slammed her hard against the invisible wall. The black vines slithered back to the ground, leaving the red haired girl to slide against the barrier, to the floor on her knees.

Kagami was trembling from exhaustion and pain, but she struggled to get back up to her feet. “Damnit...” She shakily muttered, and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Suddenly vines appeared again, and wrapped around her, lifting her off from the ground. Kagami weakly struggled, and was trying to pull the vine that was around her neck. A click caused her to stiffen, and she looked from the corner of her eyes at the barrel of the gun, pressed against her temple.

Long fingers adjusted the pair of glasses higher on the bridge of Midorima's nose. He looked up, and saw the pair of crimson eyes glaring with defiance. There was still a flame that burned within those eyes, even after fatigue was taking its toll on the girl. “I see that you still have that fire in your eyes, which is admirable of you.” Then his eyes narrowed, with a flicker of blackness briefly discoloring his emerald green eyes. “However, it's inevitable that you will die.”

“Static Shock!”

A hard current of electricity zapped the boy's hand, releasing his gun. Midorima's expression morphed with rage and irritation. He turned his heated glare, and saw a familiar golden haired boy rushing towards him with a sword. “Midorima-cchi!”

The green haired male leaped away from the girl, and used his other long barreled gun to block the sword from his former clansman. He gritted his teeth. “Kise.” He hissed. “You're interfering.” He shoved the sword away, and took aim with his gun towards his new opponent.

The blond gave a round house kick, obscuring the aim of the shot, which ricocheted against the invisible wall. Then he slashed down with his sword, forcing the other boy to leap back further to dodge the attack. Kise was smirking, and he stood up straighter, while twirling his sword in his hand. “Sorry, Midorima-cchi. It seems like I was allowed into this battle. And I definitely can't allow you to kill a girl in front of me.” He replied a bit coyly.

A golden aura surrounded him, and he threw his hand out forward. “Static Shock!” The electric spell was unleashed, further pushing the taller male further back. Kise then turned around, and swung his sword down. He caught the girl, as she was gasping for air, as the vine restraints fell to piece at their feet.

“What are you doing here, Kise?” Kagami grumbled, as she was panting, with her hands on her knees.

The boy hummed, and slightly tilted his head. “Well, miraculously, I was called here to help a damsel in distress.” He smiled, as Kagami looked up to weakly glare at the boy. “Plus, Kuroko-cchi asked for a favor, and I can't simply turn down one from him.”

Picking up her giant sword, and planting in down on the stone ground, Kagami stood up straighter. “Thanks for the help, but I'm doing fine with out you.” She huffed stubbornly.

Kise rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can see that.” He pouted a bit childishly. “You can barely stand up, and I really can't turn my back on a girl that needs help.”

“I'm not a helpless damsel!” She weakly argued.

With a soft sigh, Kise gave a smile. “I know.” He chirped. “But there is a reason I was allowed here.” Suddenly, the blond pulled the girl to his chest, and stretched out his arm. “Reflection Barrier!”

Dark vines bounced back from the protection spell, and Midorima swiftly dodged his own attacks that were set back at him. He looked up, seething, and the dark aura around him grew. “We're in a middle of a battle, pay attention!”

Kise shivered at the cold tone and the feeling he was receiving from his fellow Miraculous General. ' _That's not Midorima-cchi anymore... how did he get this way?_ ' His eyes glazed with remorse. ' _Was I like that too?_ ' He felt Kagami shiver too.

The figure of Midorima seemed to blur, before disappearing from sight. Kise became alarmed, and his senses heightened. He picked up the red head, and jumped away, avoiding being hit by the long dark barrels of Midorima's guns. He saw how the ground caved in from the impact of the attack. Then the green haired boy vanished again, and a volley of bullets were released consecutively and in quick successions.

Kagami leaped out from Kise's hold, and raised a barrier. She struggled to hold it up, before it shattered. Kise raised his hand up and summoned his own barrier, before it all fell from the powerful and dark infused shots. They started to dodge around, and reflect back the bullets with their blades, keeping their backs against each other.

The blond pushed the girl away, as dark thorny vines shot at them. Kagami hit the floor, and turned to see Kise land on the vines, and rushed towards the green haired teen, sword and gun in hand. Her breath got caught, when she saw Kise and Midorima engage in a battle. It was unlike anything she had even witnessed before, as the intensity and power heightened. No one was able to keep up with their breakneck speeds. The walls and the barrier around the platform trembled. The floor was slowly crumbling down, and more rubble was raining from the ceilings. “This... is a battle between... Miraculous Generals...” She murmured.

Dread tightly gripped the girl's heart when she saw the dark aura growing, and Midorima's eyes were no longer the recognizable green. His expression was nearly feral as he unleashed a power shot at the blond. Kise got hit on his leg, and he was slammed against the barrier, getting the wind knocked out of him. The girl scrambled up and ran, just as Midorima prepared for another power shot.

Kagami raised her hands, and a shield spell rose, just as the attack was unleashed. The girl gritted her teeth, as she pushed to keep the spell up, protecting the blond male. The shield shattered, and she was pushed back against the blond. Kise was able to catch her. “K-Kagami-cchi!”

The two were panting, fatigue apparent on their slightly trembling bodies. “No one is blind to see that the person in front of us is no longer the Midorima you know.” She spoke in a breathy voice.

“I know...” Kise agreed, dejectedly. “I can't believe he turned out like... this... He's no longer like my friend...”

Lips pressed thinly, Kagami's eyes narrowed with renew conviction, and she sharply turned to look up at the blond. Kise recognized the burning fire within her shining ruby eyes, the same fire that the girl had when she battled against the Unidad Clan, and from what recorded footage recovered between his clan and the Etoile. “We need stop him, and we will. We're going to beat Midorima black and blue until he's back to normal.” She bowed her head, and gritted her teeth. “And I won't let anyone die.”

A smile grew on the blond's lips. ' _She said 'we'._ ' Kise blinked when a hand was suddenly shoved in front of him. He looked up at the girl curiously. “Do you trust me?” Kagami asked, raising her hand a little higher in emphasis.

Heat slowly grew upon his cheeks, as he watched the girl. “Yeah.” He nodded, and took the girl's offered hand.

As Kagami curled her fingers around his hand, Kise felt a comforting warmth surge through his whole body. His chest felt lighter, and his heart was racing. The two blared in their own separate auras. A magic circle appeared below them, and spread out wide, nearly reaching their opponent across them. Kise moved to stand behind the girl, as both stood side ways, with their right hands extended out towards Midorima. He placed a hand on the girl's left shoulder, and moved his right hand on top of the girl's own right hand. White and gold clashed and mixed together, while brightening the whole area. Ominous winds blew around them, as energy gathered upon the palm of Kagami's hand. “Electric Inferno!”

A large pillar of fire shot out from the spot Midorima stood, infused with roaring currents of electricity. The two elements twisted with rage, and exploded out in flames and static. At the center stood the tall green haired male, who first fell to his knees, then flat to the ground. There was smoke rising, and small residue currents of electricity sparking around him.

The three elder fighters watched with shock, as their jaws hung. ' _She... she did it again... she was able to do a merge spell... and with someone other than Kuroko!?_ ' Hyuuga's mind shouted with disbelief.

Takao held his breath, as he watched the immobile form of his clansman. ' _Shin-chan..._ ' He was still sitting up against the invisible wall, wounds draining all energy to move.

Kuroko was also sitting against the barrier, hoarsely panting, and holding on to his abdomen. ' _Kagami-kun..._ '

Kise was in shock himself at what just occurred. His body trembled with excitement, and mixed with exhaustion. The spell drained a lot out of him, but he felt incredible in what he did with the girl. He looked over at her, amazed. ' _Kagami-cchi..._ '

However, the girl's expression held no happiness or shock like the others. Her gaze was trained on the green haired General. Her eyes narrowed, when there was a twitching movement from Midorima. Everyone nearly choked with shock as they witnessed the boy struggling to stand up. Blood was dripping down from his hunched form, but it seemed he was undeterred by it.

Kise felt that cold fear gripping his heart as he watched his fellow Miraculous General. “M-Midorima-cchi...?” He carefully called out.

Kagami became apprehensive, and shivered when she saw the dark aura still enveloping him. Then she widened her eyes, and suddenly pushed the blond away from her. Midorima seemed to have appeared in front of the girl out of no where. Catching everyone off guard. A hand shot out, and tightly gripped around the girl's neck. She was lifted off the ground, and Kagami was fighting to pry the hand from cutting her air supply.

Kise gasped, and scrambled up, his daggers in hand. “Kagami-cchi!” Black thorny vines popped out from the ground, and started to prevent the blond from getting near the girl, pushing him away. Kise dodged the wildly flailing vines, and got his sword out to cut some down. He blared with his golden aura, and waves of electricity erupted from him, burning away the vines. He turned his attention back to the girl, and swiftly ran towards her.

Ignoring the coming boy, Midorima training his glaring black cold eyes on the struggling red haired girl, being strangled with his one hand. Without looking away, he raised his other hand, and a dark long barreled gun appeared. It took aim at the incoming blond. Then the trigger was pulled, and a dark laser like shot discharged from the gun, running straight through Kise. The blond choked, and blood splattered around. He was thrown back, and landed to the ground with a thud.

Crimson eyes widened. “K-Kise!” The girl chocked out loudly. A white light blared out from the girl.

A small hand wrapped around Midorima's wrist. The boy hissed at the touch, like fire eating away by the girl's touch. He released the girl, and fought to pull his wrist away from the tight hold the girl had on him. He looked up ferociously, into the vacant silver eyes of the red head. Then a hard punch hit his face, shattering his glasses to pieces. The boy was flung across, and slammed against the barrier. There were visible cracks that appeared behind the green head, upon the barrier.

All the spectators widened their eyes , stunned upon the sight. Kuroko felt his body tremble, watching with awe. ' _It's... it's that side of Kagami that appeared before..._ ' There was a groan, and his eyes trailed upon his blond friend, who was slowly rousing to consciousness. A powerful shock-wave passed through, and more cracks appeared upon the barrier. Kuroko saw as a wild beast savagely fought, against a graceful dancer, who hits with bone crushing punches and kicks, and effortlessly dodged all opponent's attacks. Light and darkness were clashing around them, and the whole place was nearly collapsing. He could feel the ground underneath him buckling with instability.

Midorima was kicked up high, flying straight up through the air. Then the red head appeared above him, and slammed both her hands down against the boy's stomach, sending him back down to the ground. Rubble and dust flew up, and the floor caved in further. The three other fighters stuck in the battlefield tried hard to keep from being pulled towards the center.

The green head seemed to make his way back up to stand, but then was shoved forward, against a magic circle. He viciously struggled to get free, but was unable to. Kagami was standing behind the boy. A light shined from above her heart, and she pulled out the same intricately beautiful white gold rapier. She then took a striking pose.

Takao gasped. “W-wait!” He called out weakly.

Thrusting the blade forward, into the back of one of the Miraculous Generals, an agonizing howl sounded from Midorima. The black aura around him was raging. Then it rushed out from the point the rapier struck, and gathered above the girl, into a cloud of mist. The rapier disappeared from her hand, and she turned around facing the darkness. She threw her hands out, and the dark mist plunged down into the girl's chest, until all of it was gone from sight.

For a moment there was a still silence, until the girl fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her self, and clutching her sides. She cried out in pain, and then the wings appeared, ripping out from her back, before vanishing as quickly as it unfurled out. Glittering light was slowly fluttering down the whole area, touching everyone with a comforting warmth.

The magic circle disappeared, and Midorima was released. He fell to his knees, and was caught before falling to his side. Kagami held him, and maneuvered to cradle his head. She began to lightly trace her fingers over his eyelids, his cheekbones, and then to his chin. “I found you.” She whispered, before leaning forward, and lips touched.

Emerald green eyes outlined with long lashes, slowly fluttered open. The light above was bright, and there were undefined outlines of shapes. A heavy weight pressed over him, and slowly, Midorima sat up, only to look down to see a mass of red on top of his chest. He furrowed his brows in confusion, holding in his arms a passed out girl.

 

* * *

 

Three Clans stood around, facing one another, upon the grounds of where one of the infamous 'unconquerable' Dungeons once stood. In the hands of the team captain of Etoile Clan was the brilliantly sparkling Artifact, a prize won from winning the tough battle. Miraculously, everyone came out healed from their fatal wounds, and small energy was stored to enable them to move. Takao and Midorima earned stern scolding and hits to the back of their heads from their elder clansmen of Animus. Aida, the leader of the Etoile Clan, appeared, along with Tsuchida, to do some “damage control”.

The short brunette hooked her arm around the neck of the raven haired boy from Animus, giving an ominous smile. Takao grew a bit nervous. “Uh...”

Standing apart from the others, gathered the three former members of the infamous Kiseki Clan. There was a sigh, and the tall green head made a motion to adjust his glasses, but nothing was there. He felt a bit agitated. “No, I don't recall anything that happened since my clan and I entered into this Dungeon.” He spoke.

Kuroko subtly nodded, his eyes trained on the red head that was unconscious, and carried on the back of Tsuchida. “Just like Kise-kun.” He remarked.

Midorima sighed, and dropped his hand from his face. “All I know is that there was a girl on top of me when I regained conscious, and I suddenly feel lighter and a sense of clarity.” He ignored the dark looks Kise and Kuroko gave him at the mention of a certain red head.

“I can't believe he got kissed by Kagami-cchi.” Kise grumbled, glaring at the taller male. The green head turned his head away, hiding the incoming flush on his cheeks.

Cold eyes turned towards the blond teen. “You were kissed by her too.” Kuroko stated, with an icy edge to his words. Kise's face became red, and he rubbed the back of his head, laughing awkwardly in embarrassment to himself.

Emerald green eyes glared at the blond, though the teen started to question why was the thought of the red head showing a sign of affection to his former clansman bothering him. Midorima took a glance at the sleeping girl. “Who is she?” He questioned a bit quietly, implying more than just her name, which he already knew of.

“My new Light.” Kuroko simply answered. The green head saw the soft look of affection from the shorter boy. “She is going to help me in reaching my goal, as a Chosen.” He murmured mostly to himself.

Tapping a finger on his chin, Kise had an expression of ponder. “Just a thought, but what if it was Kagami-cchi that called me into the battle.” He wondered out loud. “Especially when she was in trouble, and Kuroko was gravely injured.”

“I am not going to deny the possibility.” Kuroko admitted. “She has been exhibiting an array of explainable powers... and maybe there is a connection we have towards her.”

Midorima frowned, crossing his arms. “Why does it feel like that we are all pulled into some mysterious plot, which cannot all be coincidences?” He grumbled.

Kise snorted. “Hard to believe of you saying such a thing, especially when you're all based on premonitions, luck and destiny.” He slightly tilted his head, with a playfulness dancing in his shining eyes. “This all has to be fate, am I right, Midorima-cchi?”

The boy clicked his tongue, and just glared at the blond. He raised his hand to his face, and then paused, his fingers twitching. He sighed, and dropped his hand, pushing his way past the two former clansmen and to his current clan. Then he paused, and looked over his shoulders. His eyes trained onto the outline of the light blue head. “If you're serious about defeating all the Miraculous Generals with Kagami, then you're an even bigger fool.” He spoke in his deep and somber tone. “Everyone has changed, I will recognize that. But there is one that has changed the most, before any of us, and is said to be impossible to defeat. He could be the strongest among all of us Generals.”

Kise's expression fell. “He must be drowning way deeper than any of us in this strange darkness... It could be too late for him.” He murmured.

“Nothing in impossible.” Fists clenched tightly to the sides of the blue head. Kuroko raised his chin, looking straight into emerald green eyes. “Kagami-kun and I made a promise, and we will fulfill it at any cost.” With a grunt, Midorima turned away, and continued to walk to the Animus Clan.

“Mou, Midorima-cchi always has to be so cold to us.” The blond huffed.

Kuroko lightly shook his head. “He's just giving us a warning to be careful.”

“Can't he make up his mind on whether he cares for any of us or not?” Kise slightly whined. Then he turned to the smaller boy beside him. “Kuroko-cchi.” He called, catching the attention of his former clansman. “The battle today with Midorima-cchi showed that you and Kagami-cchi can't fight the Generals on your own.” He stated with a more serious tone.

The boy bowed his head slightly, gaze to the floor. “I understand, and it is impossible to ignore. Kagami-kun and I just have a long way to go in our training to become stronger.”

There was a sigh, and Kuroko slowly looked back up at the blond teen. Kise raked his fingers through his bangs. “I'm also trying to say that I'm willing to help you guys, because at the same time, I want to save my friends too.” He stared intently into wide baby blue eyes. “And I want to also figure out just what has happened to us back when we were in Kiseki Clan.”

There was reluctance in the shorter teen's eyes, and Kuroko turned his head and sighed to the side. “I know you do... and regretably I do believe that Kagami-kun did call out to you for your help back there, though maybe unconsciously.”

A big smile grew on Kise's face, and he pulled the boy into a tight hug. “Kuroko-cchi!”

“Idiot!” The blond was suddenly kicked on his back, freeing the light haired boy from the hold of his former clansman. Kasamatsu was glaring down at his underclassman, who was crying on the floor from the abuse of his sempai. “Let's go Kise. We're going back.” He barked.

The Etoile, Wahr and Animus Clan departed, while Kagami slept on peacefully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And there goes another member of the Generation of Miracles. Hm... I think I see a pattern going on... Sorry about the rushed writing of some action. I think my imagination is slowly dying and losing some edge...


	9. The Promise

The sounds of sneakers skidding against the smooth concrete, and the rattle of the hoop pinned to the board helped calm the mind of one Kagami Taiga. He landed with both feet on the ground, and the ball bounced away once before rolling. The red head stood up straight, and wiped his forehead from the sweat that accumulated. He was panting, but felt exhilarated from the good work out. The boy was alone in an outside basketball court, only a few minutes away from Seirin High School.

Classes ended an hour ago, but the gates to the Other World were not going to open until sundown. Kagami escaped the crowds of students to spend time with his favorite pass time sport. He stretched his back, before walking over to his bag to grab his water bottle. He plopped down on the floor, and took a long gulp of water.

Kagami leaned his back against the stone wall, and let his mind wander, especially to the strange majestic world that he has been frequenting with his friends. The boy was still baffled by how much has happened, and he noticed that probably he was changing in the inside. ' _The Clan is changing too... or more like they are acting weirder than before, even when I changed into a girl... or I could be imagining things._ ' Despite what everyone believes of the red head, Kagami could be observant when he _wants_ to be... sometimes... And it was not hard to tell that everyone seemed like they were walking around him, like he was standing on thin ice. With a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders, and drank more water.

Metal clanked, and the sound of the gates to the court rattling caught his attention. The red head lowered his bottle and looked up towards the entrance to the court. Deep ruby eyes met up with a pair of intense electrifying blue eyes.

 

* * *

 

The noise and chatter in the fast food restaurant was blocked out by the closed door. Kuroko took a few steps away, and looked up at the afternoon sky. ' _That's strange... Kagami-kun didn't appear._ ' He looked around the street, and started to walk, far from Maji Burger. ' _He must have headed back to school..._ '

The lighter haired teen stood in front of the door to the disguised 'Guild' Club room. When he silently opened the door, he looked around to see that almost everyone was there from his Clan. They were all spread out, talking to one another, while others were piling up things that their Clan leader requested to bring to the other world. The boy slipped in, and came to stand close to his fellow first year classmates.

A knock interrupted the comfortable atmosphere, silencing everyone in the room. The closest, Koganei, was pushed to answer the door. The boy opened it, and revealed a beautiful girl, dressed in an unfamiliar school uniform. She had long pink hair that stopped at her lower back, and bright magenta eyes, that seemed to look right through the soul. She smiled cutely, and waved. “Hello there!” She spoke in a cheerful voice.

Aida looked around, seeing the stupid gazes of all the males in the room. She grew irritated, and turned to the newcomer. She crossed her arms, pulling out a strained smile. “Yes, can we help you?” She asked in a sweetly fake tone.

The girl scanned the room. “Well, I'm kind of looking for someone.”

“Momoi-san?”

Magenta eyes widened, and glittered with joy and excitement. She barged into the room, nearly pushing the boy standing close to the door. She leaped forward with her arms thrown out wide. “Tetsu-kun!” She cried out.

Everyone turned their heads in shock, as they watched the pretty girl pull their light blue haired clan member into a tight hug. The scene looked nearly comical, when the boy's head was pressed against the pink haired girl's bosom. She was rubbing her her cheek on top of the boy's head, though Kuroko looked to keep his blank expression as it all happened. “Momoi-san...”

“What's this? Who is this girl, Kuroko?” All the boys were nearly protesting with envy at such an action, being smothered by a really pretty girl. Aida was glowering behind them, radiating with a deadly aura that soon silenced them all with fear.

The girl looked up and gave a wink. “Oh, I'm sorry. I'm his girlfriend!”

There was a thick moment of silence in the room.

“EHHHHHHHH!!!!????”

 

* * *

 

Chest was burning from heaving for air, and sweat poured down, nearly drenching the neckline of his shirt. Kagami was slightly bent over, with his hand on his thigh, and the other wiping the sweat from his eyes. He glanced up, seeing his opponent, looking bored, and barely breaking a sweat. The red head winced, his knees aching.

The tall dark male tossed the ball over his shoulder, letting it bounce, before rolling towards the fence, out the bounds of the painted court. He grunted, before stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Not even a challenge.” He lazily spoke with a deep drawl.

Ruby eyes glared hard at the taller teen. “Another round! I'll beat you for sure!” Kagami growled, his determination and anger flaring.

His opponent snorted, and narrowed his dark blue eyes. “You got to be shitting me. You can barely keep up.” He clicked his tongue, and turned around, towards the entrance of the fenced in court. “What a waste of time.”

“Hey! We're not done here!” The boy shouted, but his shouts were ignored. He saw the other boy pull out his cellphone with annoyance, and continued to walk away.

Kagami gritted his teeth, and forced his racing heart to calm down while he caught his breath. He slowly made his way to pick up his ball, then went towards his bag. He pulled out one of his bottled water, and poured its contents over his head. He pulled out his towel, and started to pat dry his face. ' _That arrogant bastard. If ever I see his smug face again, I'm going to wipe it across the court when I beat that asshole!_ ' His mind raged.

 

* * *

 

Standing out in the hallway, in a private corner, a male and female stood beside each other, watching the afternoon sky slowly become darker, and the colors changing. “Momoi-san, why did you come here?” The light haired boy spoke with his usual monotonous voice.

The girl closed her eyes, and smiled to herself. “Can't I come and see you, Tetsu-kun, even if we attend different schools? I missed you, after all.” She said in a sweet tone, almost playful. Kuroko lowered his chin, and turned to face the pink haired girl beside him. Momoi bowed her head, knowing that she couldn't fool the boy beside him. “I wanted to confirm some rumors.” She finally admitted.

“You want information.” The boy stated.

Momoi turned to the boy, and took his hands. “Aw, don't say it like that, Tetsu-kun. I just heard around that your Clan defeated two other Clans' Teams with a Miraculous General in it.”

“It is true.” Kuroko replied, showing no indication that he was going to pull away his hands from the girl's hold.

Furrowing her brows, the girl slightly squeezed the boy's hands. “Does that mean... you're going to fight the others too?” She carefully asked.

Kuroko gently pulled his hands from the girl's grasp, and turned back to look out through the big windows of the school building. “I made it a goal to defeat all the Miraculous Generals, a promise with someone special.” He didn't see the slight flinch from the pink haired girl, from his words and the soft gaze.

“Why?” Momoi asked, pulling her hands together, and pressed against her chest. “Is it for fame, or a title? But then, that doesn't sound like Tetsu-kun at all.”

The boy shook his head. “No, I care not for titles. I let go of that back with the Kiseki Clan.” Kuroko bowed his head. “I am sure Momoi-san cannot deny that back in Kiseki Clan, things have changed... especially with Aomine-kun.” The girl slightly widened her magenta eyes, and then bowed her head, clutching her hands together. Her silence reconfirmed the boy's thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Momoi turned to face the window, but her head was kept bowed down. “Dai-chan is no longer how he was. He's grown even colder... more distant. I don't think I could recognize him anymore.” She slightly chewed at her lower lip. “And the way he fights in OW is very frightening... and it's getting worse everyday. It seems he gets affected back here on Earth... I can't do anything anymore.” She raised her head, and pressed her palm against the window glass. “I... I wanted to follow you to the same high school, but I stayed with Dai-chan, because you know that we grew up with each other, and that no one else would watch over him. I couldn't leave him alone...”

“Momoi-san.” The girl wiped her eyes from the tears that were building up and threatening to fall. She turned to the boy beside her, with a questioning look. “I am going to fight the Miraculous Generals, because I want to show them that the beliefs of Kiseki Clan are wrong. I want to save them from that influence of our past that caused those horrible changes in our friends.” Kuroko turned to the girl, and she saw the resolution and determination in the boy's light blue eyes. “Whatever happened in Kiseki Clan did something to our friends, and there must have been a reason why that Clan was disbanded from the Other World...”

The pink haired girl widened her eyes, her heart slightly racing at the boy's words. “You're... going to save them all...?”

Kuroko nodded. “Every one of them.” He replied. He closed his eyes, giving a tiny smile. “If you run into them, you will see that Kise-kun and Midorima-kun has changed. More like they returned back to their old selves, back before they all started to change.”

 

* * *

 

Coming into the “Guild” Club room, there was an annoyed look upon the tall red head's expression. All attention turned to the tallest member, and the spell of shock that overcame the group from earlier was broken. Kagami raised a brow, his earlier encounter forgotten. “Something happened?” He grumbled carefully.

Hyuuga came up to the tall male, and looked a bit bothered. “Can you believe it, Kagami? Kuroko has a girlfriend.”

“And she's a really sexy one too.” Koganei pouted, lightly huffing through his nose. “Why does he have all the luck and the really pretty ones flock around him.” The teens around him all stiffened, and shook with fright. Mitobe was patting his friend as a warning.

Aida was smiling eerily, suddenly appearing behind the boy. She grabbed Koganei's shoulder, causing him to freeze on the spot with dread, and his life flashing before his eyes. She looked up at Kagami. “And where have you been? The meeting time is thirty minutes before the gates open, Kagami-kun. And look at you, you've been literally running around tiring yourself out or something?” The boy under her hand seemed to have turned to stone with a traumatized expression.

Quickly did Kagami's bad mood return, as he was reminded at what happened earlier before he came to the club room. “Che.” He clicked his tongue, glaring off to the side. “Just a run in with some bastard.” He growled under his breath. Then he looked around the room. “And where is Kuroko?” He asked, diverting his Leader's attention elsewhere than his state.

The brunette huffed, and crossed her arms. Mitobe had to catch his friend before he fell back, after being released from the girl's hold. “Went out with that girl somewhere. Hopefully still within the vicinity.” Then she started to mumble darkly to herself about 'cheeky First Years'.

Hyuuga adjusted his glasses, and looked up at the red head. “Go get Kuroko, we're about to leave to OW soon.”

Kagami furrowed his brows. “Huh! Why me?”

“Cause you two are partners, aren't you?” Then the bespectacled male turned the red head towards the door and not so lightly punched his wide back. “And learn to respect your elders! Obey your the orders of your Sempai!” He barked sternly.

The red head grumbled and walked out the room. “It's not like that...” He huffed, and walked down the halls, looking for the boy. When he came upon a hallway, after turning a corner, he spotted a pink haired girl, and the back of the boy he was made to look for. He paused, and hid behind the corner, glancing over. ' _That must be Kuroko's girlfriend?_ ' He pressed his back against the wall, and strained his hearing to listen in. ' _They're still talking... and it must be serious... I'll just have to wait then..._ '

Kagami slowly reached his hand, and pressed it against the small dull ache in his chest. He frowned in confusion and irritation, then scratched the back of his head. ' _No, if I wait, I'll get in trouble by Sempai and get yelled at._ ' He walked out from his hiding place, and slowly walked his way over to the pair at the end of the hallway.

Momoi took Kuroko's hands into her, and squeezed them, with hope shining in her eyes. “Tetsu-kun, you'll save Dai-chan, won't you? Just like how you saved Ki-chan and Midorin?” There was desperation in her eyes. “Please, you have to!”

Kuroko gazed down, pulling away from the wide eyes of his friend. “But... it was not me who really saved them.” He murmured quietly.

“Hey, Kuroko!”

The two raised their heads, and looked over to see the tall red head standing at a distance. Kagami stuffed a hand into his pocket, while the other rubbed the back of his head. “The Sempai are calling you back. We're about to leave soon.”

Magenta eyes honed on to the gentle gaze the light blue haired boy displayed, upon seeing the towering boy. His hands easily slipped away from hers, and he fully turned to his fellow classmate. “Would you wait for a few minutes, please?” He politely asked. Kagami shifted his weight from the spot he stood, rubbing the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. Then he turned around, his back to the pair. Kuroko turned back to the girl. “It is never impossible to defeat someone. And I will definitely save Aomine-kun, not just for Momoi-san, but for himself.” He declared, with conviction.

The girl's eyes glazed, and she threw her arms around the boy's neck. “Tetsu-kun!” She pulled away and smiled. “I'll hold on to your promise, and we'll see each other one day in OW.” She ran down, past the red head, then suddenly stopped, turning around. She looked up at the red head, and smiled sweetly, before looking back to the light blue haired boy. “And go on back, I'll be fine finding my way out on my own.” She waved, before skipping away, down the hallway and turning down a corner.

Kagami turned away from the hallway when the girl disappeared, and spotted the shorter boy close by to him. “You look worn out, you were playing basketball again before coming here?” Kuroko questioned.

The red head grunted, and crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, ran into this asshole.” He scowled.

The shorter boy punched his shoulder, causing the red head to hiss, and hold his aching shoulder. “Don't swear.” Kuroko shook his head with disappointment.

The red head grunted again, and started to walk back to the club room. He didn't look back to see if the shorter boy was following. “So, that was your girlfriend?” Kagami gruffly asked.

There was a sigh beside him, and ruby eyes glanced down to the light blue haired boy. “It is a misunderstanding, and we were never really together in any way in the past. But she is a dear friend who also attended Teikou Middle.” He explained.

“I see.” Kagami nonchalantly replied. For some reason, he felt a bit of relief after the correction.

Kuroko glanced through the corner of his eyes, up at the red head. “Could Kagami-kun possibly be jealous?” He teasingly asked.

The taller teen's face dusted lightly with pink, and an angry flustered look appeared on his usually intimidating face. “HAH!? Jealous of who? You?” Kagami tried to hide his embarrassment by glaring at the shorter male. He snorted, and walked away rather quickly from the other boy. “Yeah right! No one is jealous here!” He shouted down through the halls. “And hurry up, Kuroko! If we get a scolding from the Sempai, I'm blaming you!”

The light blue haired boy lightly chuckled, and quickly followed after the red head. “It is actually me who gets a bit jealous when others are around you... Kagami-kun.” He whispered lightly to himself.

 

* * *

 

The double edged sword was lodged forcefully through the skull of the wild monster, before it exploded into dust. Then seconds later, the sword shattered and broke into pieces, before turning into a glittering dust. Without warning, the tall red haired girl was hit at the back of her head. “Damnit, Kagami! That was another good sword wasted!” The bespectacled leader of the team shouted.

Kagami huffed, and crossed her arms, turning her head to the side. “Sorry I'm not used to small light swords.” She grumbled. “And my heavy sword is currently out of commission.”

Patting her back, Koganei appeared from behind her, looking at the team leader. “Don't be so hard on her, Hyuuga!” He sighed. “We've been trying different types of weapons out for her, but none of them could work out for her as a temporary replacement. And we all know how hard it is to acquire such a big sword and a good one that is suited for her.” He explained, trying to defend their only female fighter.

The bespectacled male narrowed his eyes at the girl, frowning. “You've used a rapier before, why don't you use that, or at least bring it out, like what you have done twice already.” He muttered.

Blinking her ruby eyes, the girl slightly tilted her head, furrowing her brows. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Throwing his hands up, Koganei stepped in between the red head and the bespectacled teen. “Ah!” He quickly pulled his team leader to the side. “We're not supposed to speak about _that_ in front of Kagami!” He scolded in harsh whisper.

“ _Stupid, Hyuuga-kun!_ ” The two second year students winced, hearing their leader in their heads. Hyuuga sighed, and rubbed his temple. “ _Koganei-kun and Kagami-kun already tried using a rapier, but ended with the same results, it broke after one use. Plus, she has no inkling of that rapier she would call out. It seems like it's not part of her inventory. I checked many times. Kagami-kun is just built for power, and light weight weapons are not suited for her._ ” Aida explained. The two elder males glanced back at their female fighter. Kagami looked troubled, thinking back on to what Hyuuga said, with her arms crossed, and her lips pouting slightly, in thought.

“Have you tried those heavy axes yet for Kagami-kun?” A voice suddenly asked.

The two second years turned their heads, and jumped, forgetting their fourth member of their team. Kuroko saw their expressions, and sighed. Kagami turned to the boy. “Hey, Kuroko, do you know what the Sempai are talking about, about this rapier I could have possibly used?” She grumbled.

“It is probably nothing, Kagami-kun. You should not worry about it so much.” He appeased. “They more than likely confused the moment with one of the other Clans we have encountered, and the opponent was a female Knight using a rapier.” The light blue haired boy explained. At the back, the two older males sighed in relief, thanking the gods that Kagami was who she was, and Kuroko was a blessing to their Clan.

The red head looked more confused. “A girl using a rapier?” She tried to think back to all the encounters.

“How sad, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko interrupted her thoughts. “To forget our opponents that we have encountered.”

There was a laugh, and Koganei approached the two first years, and slapped the girl's back. “I bet, since after beating them in battles, they don't stick in Kagami's mind!”

Hyuuga scoffs, and looked up at the girl. “Don't be so arrogant, Kagami.” He scolded. “As time passes, and we continue battling here in OW, our opponents will definitely rise up in levels and may eventually defeat us. We are lucky thus far, for our teams with you and Kuroko in it, to be considered 'undefeated' and successfully winning each battle.” He pointed out.

Kagami huffed, and pouted, as she crossed her arms. “I know that! And I'm just really bad with names to faces, okay!” Kuroko lightly smiled, and patted the girl's upper arm to slightly comfort her. It was not hard for the whole Clan to tease the red head, as they all could agree that it was fun to get a reaction from their resident 'Rookie' fighter.

Heaving his rifle against his shoulder, Hyuuga looked towards a distance and to the position of the sun. “Alright team, let's head back from our rounds.” He pointed towards the red head. “You're acting as support this time. So you can't engage in any physical fights, you got that, Kagami?” He ordered sternly.

The girl scowled, pouting at the unfairness. “I know.” She mumbled, as she followed behind Koganei and Kuroko, as they headed back to their town.

 

* * *

 

Saving the files in the holographic screen, Aida touched the corner, and the screen disappeared. The female leader of Etoile Clan looked up to find four first years, gathered together, in front of the viewing window to one of the base's training rooms. The girl came up beside them, looking through the same window. “How's it going?” She questioned out loud.

“Well,” Kawahara spoke up. “Kagami is still having some problems with control on her temporary weapon of the giant battle axe.” He reported.

Through the window stood the tall red haired girl, holding on to the giant axe, with two heads. The blade had a wide span that was bigger than Kuroko or Furihata in height, and a four foot long metal handle, that was barely sticking out from the axe heads. In front of Kagami stood Mitobe and Koganei, her trainers to control her temporary weapon, while her giant sword was our of commission.

“It's really amazing that Kagami could move so swiftly with such a huge weapon in hand. She always makes it look easy to handle such heavy weapons.” Fukuda mused.

“She's a Knight Class after all.” Aida replied. “Their strength, along with Warriors and Brawlers, exceed all other Classes. But I do have to say that it's rare for female fighters to wield heavy weapons and still move quickly. Most females rather use light weight weapons, or long ranged ones.”

The brunette then stretched out her arms, and turned to the four boys beside her. She plopped a hand on the shoulder of the boy next to her, patting Furihata's shoulder. “Guess what? Today the four of you will be going to a Dungeon together!” She beamed.

The three first years looked surprised, glancing over at one another. “Huh? Seriously?” Kawahara questioned.

Aida laughed, and punched Furihata's shoulder. “Don't worry about it, you guys will do fine!” She reassured. “The Dungeon is not that hard for you guys, and you'll have Kuroko-kun, and Tsuchida-kun as your leader.” She looked back through the window to the training room. “Of course Kagami-kun can't join you.”

At the other end, Kuroko looked at his three fellow same year clansmen. “We will do fine.” He reassured.

“If you have forgotten, we're all mostly support Classes, you know.” Fukuda pointed to them. “Even Kuroko with his style of fighting, even if he is stronger than all of us.”

Aida curled her hand to a fist, and lightly punched the boy standing beside her, on his back. Furihata winced, inwardly crying why it had to be him. “Seriously guys, you need to have more faith in yourselves. You all are unique, and have a wide variety of abilities that contribute to our Clan. And today is your guys' time to shine! I know I don't normally group you all together like this, but I thought it would be fine! All your Sempai have faith in you guys!”

There was a loud thud, and the window rattled. The five clansmen turned to look into the training room. Mitobe and Koganei were on their bottoms, next to each other, with shocked looks. Between them was the giant axe, embedded on the hard floor and the wall. At a distance from them was Kagami, on the floor and flat on her face.

Aida snorted, holding in her laugh, and smiled widely at the four first year students. “You guys will do great today!”

 

* * *

 

Bursting into the meeting room, Aida slammed her hands on to the table, causing some of the members to jump. There was a grim seriousness in her expression. “Etoile Clan has issued a Formal Clan Battle Challenge to Lò Clan.”

There were various reactions of surprise from the other members of the Clan. “We've never sent out formal challenges to anyone before!” Koganei gasped.

Izuki watched his leader carefully. “What is the reason for the challenge, Riko?” He asked.

Clenching her hands into a fist, she slammed it down on to the table again. She tightly closed her eyes, frowning with annoyance. “Yesterday, one of our teams that were sent out to a Dungeon excursion, barely set foot into their target. Before they could open the doors, it disappeared right there in front of their eyes!” Tsuchida, Hyuuga, Furihata and Fukuda recalled that day, frowning.

Aida shot open her eyes, rage bubbling in her. “And that stupid Lò Clan members had the decency to call us slow, and that Etoile didn't amount to anything!” She punched the table, and those even at the far end of the table was able to hear it crack. The members slightly trembled in fear for their leader. Aida raised her tightly clenching fist, fire in her eyes. “No one gets away from saying such things of our Clan, and it was the Dungeon I have been eyeing for weeks! It was supposed to be our Clan that conquers it!” She nearly shrilled.

Kawahara raised his hands up defensively, trying to hopefully calm down their furious leader. “And what could have been possibly the Artifact of that Dungeon?” He asked warily.

With a wave of her hand, a holographic screen appeared at the center of their round table. There was a picture of an old looking leather bound book, with intricate golden designs, and a lock. Next to the pictures were small little text. “It's a tome to teach Phasma to become Chemists.” She looked around, but mostly trained her eyes upon the tall red haired female. “If you could recall, Chemists are important to many settlements. They are able to produce healing potions, or various useful potions for battles. If Espoir had Chemists, the we'll have those useful healing potions, and don't have to always rely on Kawahara-kun and Kagami-kun for healing during battles.” She pointed at the picture, looking at each members. “I want that Artifact.”

Slowly, Furihata raised his hand up, a bit hesitant. “And, if we lose this challenge, what would we be giving the other Clan?” He dared to ask

There was a dark aura that radiated from the girl, as she gave them a deadly look. “It's better to not know, since we _won't_ lose, _right_?” She smiled. All the members shuddered.

 

* * *

 

Gathered in a small battle arena, once again located in the Arena Park of the Imperial City, almost all the members of the Etoile Clan were present for the Formal Clan Battle Challenge. At one end of the slightly raised platform in the middle of the arena stood Hyuuga, with Mitobe and Izuki. Close to the edge was Kuroko and Kagami, made to be the reserved fighters of the challenge.

The bespectacled teen adjusted his glasses, looking at the leader of the team that they were to battle with. “Squad Kappa of Lò Clan.” Hyuuga spoke, with his arms crossed, and eyes narrowed at his opponents. “As stated in the challenge, it's a 3 against 3 match, with 2 reserved fighters.” He lifted up his wrist, and there was a gold cuff, with a black spot on it. “When the center cracks, or this cuff breaks off, then it means that that member is out. We will keep fighting until all the reserves are exhausted, and all fighters are no longer able to fight. The Clan with at least one remaining fighter on the field is named winner of the challenge. Do we agree?”

The tallest male dressed in heavy armor nodded. “Yes.” He looked behind him, and two members stepped on to the platform. “I, Iwamura, captain of Team 1, along with Kasuga and Oomurou will be the first fighters.” A tall male with light hair, and a girl with brown hair came behind their captain. “Tsugawa and Sakamoto are our reserves.” He pointed to the shaven head boy and the raven haired girl standing to the side of the battle stage.

“ _Lò Clan is mostly made up of Brawlers, focusing on various martial arts skills for fighting._ ” Aida informed the Etoile members. “ _Iwamura is a Guard Class, while Kasuga and Oomurou are Brawlers. Also be aware that Lò Clan are also known for their superior defense, even though they are all mostly made up of Brawler Class._ ”

Hyuuga rolled his shoulders, then took out his rifle. “That's why it's better to keep them at a certain distance.” The bespectacled male murmured. Mitobe moved to stand between his clansmen and their opponents, with his own battle axe out and giant shield. Izuki twirled around his lance in his hands, before settling into a comfortable stance.

“You can do it Sempai!” Fukuda shouted.

“We got this one!” Kawahara cheered.

Kagami clenched her hands tightly, looking up at the three older members. “We're right here behind you, Sempai!” Kuroko nodded silently.

 

* * *

 

“Hurry Sempai! I think they already started!”

A tall blond male jogged up to one viewing window, and peered below in the battle arena. Kasamatsu sighed, and walked up to stand beside his overly excited underclassman. He glanced down, and his eyes swept across the platform of the battle arena. “Long range fighters with a high defense fighter, against close range fighters with their own defensive fighter.” He mused.

Kise pouted. “Aw, Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi aren't in there fighting. I wanted to see them battle.”

The older male rolled his eyes. “Idiot, it's better to save your better fighters for last, especially when gathering information.” He watched as Mitobe plowed through the two Brawler fighters from the opponent, and Hyuuga not holding back in releasing a volley of bullets. Spells were being quickly thrown from Izuki. “Even without Kuroko and Kagami, the Etoile Clan elder fighters are good on their own.” The female Brawler was dragged out the platform, and a shaven head male came bouncing in, also a Brawler, from what they could tell from his costume. “And can't you see that Kuroko and Kagami are standing in the reserved area?” They saw as the shortest male was pressuring Etoile Clan's Guard's defenses.

“Lò Clan are greatly known for their high defenses, as well as their knowledge towards various martial arts.” A deep voice spoke. “That's why their Clan are nearly in par with ours, and have a long history as well.”

Kise and Kasamatsu turned their heads, and were surprised to see two windows down was the familiar pair from Animus Clan. “Midorima-cchi!” The blond called out in surprise. He quickly went up to the tall green haired male, with Takao standing at the other side of him. “You're here too! You also want to watch Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi, right?”

The green head scowled, and adjusted his glasses. “It's not that I wanted to. Our Team just happened to finish a formal challenge ourselves, that we easily won of course.” He responded.

Takao chuckled. “Aw, come on Shin-chan! You totally knew that Etoile was here, that's why you were in such a hurry to end our formal challenge with our opponents.” He grinned when he saw the green haired boy become flustered.

“Shut up, Takao!” And the raven haired boy laughed.

There was an booming sound within the arena, and the windows rattled. The three looked back down. “In case you missed it, Etoile was able to pull out the last reserve from Lò. She looks like a Guard.” Kasamatsu spoke, keeping his eyes trained on to the battle below. “And just a moment ago, that bald kid used what looked like a special attack, taking out Hyuuga and Mitobe.”

Kise's eyes brightened up. “That means Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi are going to fight now!”

“Oh! That's new!” Takao pointed out, watching the tall red haired girl. “She doesn't have her usual giant sword.” Kagami swung her giant battle axe, with one side of the blade head set on the ground.

 

* * *

 

There was worry upon the freshmen trio, as they saw Kagami set her giant axe down beside her, holding on the handle with two hands. Koganei saw their expressions, and grinned, dropping a hand upon Fukuda and Furihata's shoulders. “Don't worry! Don't worry!” He chirped. “Everything will be fine. With Kuroko there beside her, they'll have no problems at all!”

The red head took off with her axe, being dragged on to the ground. She felt a strange sensation, when a few seconds she was surrounded by a silver light. Then her speed increased, and she lifted her giant axe above her head.

The opponent female Guard, Sakamoto, nearly choked, and quickly raised her hands up. “Shield!”

With a loud battle cry, Kagami swung down her weapon, hitting against the barrier spell that protected Tsugawa. Everyone cringed at the sharp sound, and the rival Team widened their eyes when they saw cracks spread out on the shield.

“Tsugawa, get away from there!” Kasuga shouted, the other member left on the battlefield from the Lò Clan.

The shorter male jumped back, just as the barrier spell shattered, and the axe continued down into the hard floor. No words could be spoken when they saw pieces of the hard floor rise, and a spider web of cracks spread out in a wide radius.

Hyuuga smirked, turning briefly to Kawahara to thank him for his healing. He looked up at the battle. “Come now, increasing her speed and strength could be a little overkill, Izuki.”

Tsugawa quickly went for the attack, while Kagami was busy trying to pull her weapon out from the ground. But then a wave of shadow rose. “Wah!” He scrambled back from being touched by the attack.

Sakamoto sucked in a deep breath, and raised her hands up again, cringing when the female Knight's weapon hit against her shield spell. She gasped, and dodged the knives being thrown at her.

Tsugawa turned around, and dashed towards the red head, pulling back his fist. “Power Bash!”

Izuki frowned, and waved his hand. “Para-” He turned his head, and stepped back, waving his hand in a different manner. “Bind!”

Kasuga cursed, stepping on to the magic circle and being stuck in place. The raven haired boy smiled. “Now, now, don't be hasty. Just stick around for bit, ne?” To the side, Izuki heard his captain shouting at him to concentrate in fighting than trying to be funny.

From the corner of their eyes, they saw Tsugawa get pushed back by a wave of shadow. Then predatory crimson eyes locked on to the light haired opponent, trapped in the binding spell. Izuki shrugged his shoulders, and stepped back, with a welcoming hand gesture towards the older teen. Kasuga turned and saw Kagami running towards him with her giant axe being dragged beside her, creating sparks upon the floor from the edge of the blade. Then she blared in a red aura, bursting in flames. Kasuga felt his heart drop when the girl threw her blazing giant axe towards him. He instinctively threw his arms over his head.

“Shield!” The female clan member of Lò cried out her spell, and was gritting her teeth to hold the shield up. Even at the far end of the battle field, she felt the heat of the attack. She widened her eyes in complete horror when the spell shattered once again because of the monstrous female Knight. Kasuga was knocked out, and slammed against the invisible barriers around the battle field. Everyone saw the brace shatter to pieces. ' _How is she so strong?_ ' She trembled, and looked up at the tall red head.

Tsugawa landed beside the older girl. “Don't give up yet, Sempai!” He chirped, with a lighthearted expression. He went into a stance, with his fists raised, and legs apart. Then he took off, heading towards the dark haired teen. ' _That girl is being protected by that short boy that we can't seem to see, and that Sorcerer is a support. So we must get rid of him first._ '

Suddenly an axe was slammed down in front of him, cutting his path. The boy smoothly dodged to the side, and continued towards the older Etoile clansman. Izuki's attention focused on to boy heading his way, and waved his hand. “Bind!”

Tsugawa leaped over the magic circle, and did a flip, cartwheeling across the floor. Kagami gritted her teeth, and threw her hand out towards the quickly moving boy. “Blaze Blast!”

A shield spell rose from the opponent, and the girl ran the opposite direction from her partner. She raised a lance, going for the attack against the taller girl. Kagami saw this, and leaped up high, bringing with her the giant battle axe. Sakamoto widened her eyes, and mouth slightly gaped with awe at the height the younger girl with armor jumped.

The shaven head boy looked over his shoulder, and cursed. He skidded against the floor, only a few few away from setting foot at another binding magic circle Izuki cast. Tsugawa dashed towards his clansman, and pushed her away from being crushed by the red head, with her giant axe.

There was a booming explosive sound. Dust flew up, and the floors shook. When the area became visible, most of the Etoile Clan members were shocked at the sight before them. Tsugawa was standing in a stance, not bothered at all by the uneven surface, while the giant blade of the axe was mere centimeters away from his shoulder. Kagami's eyes were wide in shock, staring at the boy close to her.

The boy fluidly began to move, his hand raising up from its position. Kagami's instincts were screaming, and her pupils seemed to shrink. The girl quickly pulled up her weapon from the ground, and took a swing across. The boy reached his hand, to push the blade down an inch, while he leaped up, missing his lower half from being cut in half. The red head slightly jerked by the added weight of the boy on top of her blade. She glared up, but sharply took in a deep breath as she bent over backwards, missing being hit at the face by the swift punch. She gritted her teeth, and lifted her axe, throwing the boy up into the air.

Tsugawa flipped mid air, and landed on the ground, before dashing forward towards Izuki. Kagami cursed, and ran again to stop the boy from reaching her sempai. “Kagami-kun!” The girl looked over her shoulder and saw the other member of the rival Clan charging at her with her lance.

A wave of shadow rose, stopping the girl from her run. Then was caught in surprise when the tall red head seemed to cut her way through the attack, directing her blade at her. The girl threw her hands up, summoning her barrier, and quickly backed away, just as her spell shattered. Sakamoto wasn't able to catch her breath, as the red head continued to attack her with her weapon. “Tsugawa-kun!”

The boy leaped away from the wind spell that Izuki threw at him, and missed stepping on more of the binding magic circles. He looked over his shoulder, just to see as Kagami released her battle axe, burning with raging flames, at his team member. “Sempai!”

Sakamoto was thrown against the invisible barrier of the field. She was struggling to hold up her barrier, as the weapon was cutting through, with flames raging against her defense. “Sorry Tsugawa-kun.” She whispered to herself, just as her shield spell once again shattered from the red head's attack. Then the attack hit against the second barrier that went up automatically due to the mechanism of the battle arena. It also broke along with the cuff on her wrist, and the blade cut through her armor, and she cried out.

Tsugawa gritted his teeth, watching as his clansmen pulled the last fighter, and quickly sought medical attention. He looked up with narrowed eyes, faintly hearing his team shouting for him to be calm, and encouraging him to win. “No more games, then.”

Kuroko narrowed his eyes, watching as the last member of the rival team started to crouch down. Kagami and Izuki watched with confusion, as the boy started to remove something from around his ankles, and around his waist. Tsugawa stood up, and then released the wrappings. They slammed down on to the floor, creating a crater on the concrete floor. All of Etoile gaped in shock.

“No way!” Fukuda grabbed on to Koganei, shaking him. “This can't be real! I thought it only happened in martial art movies! Don't tell me that the guy just took off weights!”

“It's real alright.” Koganei replied grimly. “Though you don't really see it, Tsuchida also goes through the same training as a Brawler too, training with weights.”

“ _It's one of the known, yet not so widely used regiments of Brawler Classes, going through weighted training. Usually they never take them off, unless they are in the finals of tournaments, or they fear they are in grave danger._ ” Aida's voice echoed in the minds of her clansmen. “ _Fighting someone like Kagami-kun must mean that they all admit that she is a great danger, so that Tsugawa won't be playing around._ ”

The red head chuckled lightly, raising her chin. “I'm honored.” She muttered.

In a blink of an eye, Tsugawa disappeared, catching Kagami and Izuki off guard. Kuroko frowned, then dashed forward with knives in his hands. ' _He's still trying to target Izuki-semapi!_ ' The boy threw the weapons in hand.

The shaven head boy seemed to pause in his pursuit, and fluidly moved around in place, as the knives missed him by a hair. Then he quickly set off again, with energy gathering in his hands.

Kagami cursed, and dashed forward, dragging her battle axe. She stopped in the path of the boy, and swung her weapon across. The boy deflected the blade down from cutting him, as he moved around the girl, still continuing in his path. The girl growled, and blared in her red aura. “Blaze Blast!”

The fire attack was hurtling behind the Lò member, towards Etoile's Sorcerer. Izuki flinched at the sight of the big blast of flames, chasing after the boy. He quickly waved his hand, glowing in his silver aura. “Multi-Paralyze!”

Several glowing magic circles appeared in front of the raven haired boy, which the boy started to do some flips and jumps, avoiding in stepping into them. He took aim, but hit against a solid invisible wall. Izuki winced at the sharp sound close to his head. He looked up to see Tsugawa then move away, as the fire spell hit against the barrier. Izuki flinched again, feeling the heat lick his face. ' _I think I know how Kagami's opponents feel when they get hit by her fires, though not so directly._ ' The fires died down, and Izuki sighed in slight relief. ' _Good to know that I could count on you to protect your teammates, Kagami, or else you would have intentionally knock out your own team members with your own attacks._ ' He looked up to see the girl engaged in fighting with the last opponent on the field. ' _Faster._ '

Silver glittering light sprinkled over the red head, and her moved became faster. Kagami was gritting her teeth, trying to hit the boy. ' _He said that he's not playing, but he totally is! This bastard!_ ' Her mind raged. It ticked her off more, seeing the smirk on the boy's lips. He kept deflecting her attacks, moving it away from hitting him, and trying to pull her in close so that he could take a shot in getting a punch or kick at her. But Kagami let her instincts take control to block those attacks or barely dodge. She mentally also thanked Kuroko, for giving her some room to breath, as he started to toss his knives and shadow spells in between. ' _But why can't I hit this guy!?_ '

With a powered up dropkick, Tsugawa slammed the giant axe on to the floor, before it could slash across him. Kagami looked up, her eyes filled with pure hate and frustration. The shaven head boy raised his chin, and grinned cheekily. ' _This bastard!_ '

“Shadow Wave.”

The red head stood where she was, as the shadow spell came up, separating the two. Kagami scowled, and looked over to the side, glaring at the light haired boy all in black. She saw the look in the boy's apathetic gaze. ' _I know, I know._ ' She told her self, as she tore her eyes away, and back at the opponent. ' _But I can't help it, when this bastard has to be so frustrating! He's worse than Kise and Midorima!_ ' She watched as Tsugawa was looking around with his eyes from where the attack came from. The girl hefted her heavy weapon on her shoulder, and dashed forward. ' _I want this guy gone already!_ ' Her mind shouted, as she swung her weapon again.

Tsugawa smoothly deflected her attack, and suddenly did a round house kick against the flat surface of the giant axe. “Shit!” The girl cursed, and her hold on her weapon loosened. The axe was flung towards the side where Etoile stood, and they all flinched when it slammed against the invisible barrier boarders.

Kagami turned her head, and saw the wide smile on her opponent's face, as he tightly clenched his glowing fist. “Roaring Dragon Strike!” Tsugawa thrust his fist forward, and collided with a hard body.

Ruby eyes widened with disbelief and horror, when Kuroko once again stepped between her and a powerful attack. The boy slammed against the tall girl, and they were both thrown against the battle field barrier. Kagami choked, and gritted her teeth. She looked down at the head of light blue hair, as Kuroko was sprawled on top of her. She carefully pushed the boy forward, as she sat up, and felt her heart clench when she saw the cuff on the boy's wrist shatter to pieces. “Kuroko, you idiot! Why do you always do this?” She hissed.

The boy started to hack a lung, while clutching on to his aching chest. The girl watched, as Kuroko spat out blood. Her hold on his shoulders seemed to tighten slightly, hands trembling. The light blue head placed a calming hand over the girl's, and looked up at her. “It's because Kagami-kun seems to forget to calm down so that she could focus.” He said. Kuroko looked to the side, seeing Mitobe and Hyuuga coming over to pull him out of the battle field. Kawahara was near by, ready to use his magic.

“Kagami-kun, we all believe in you. I believe in you. You're the only one who could win this match.” The boy looked directly into a pair of crimson orbs. Kagami clenched her jaw, as her hold on the boy slowly loosened. She watched as Kuroko was pull through the boarder barrier of the battle field. Kuroko looked back up at the girl. “Remember, you're not the only one fighting, Kagami-kun. And focus.” Kawahara quickly went up to the boy's side.

Kagami closed her eyes, and slowly stood up. She didn't turn when her opponent suddenly hit his fist against the barrier that was summoned by her at the last second. Her arm was outstretched, palm facing the boy.

Tsugawa looked amused. “Aw, so you didn't forget about me?” He took a step back, and went into a fight stance, shifting his weight, front and back. “Sorry about that little guy there. I was surprise that I finally got him, when I've honestly been having a hard time finding him. But to find out how easily I knocked him out.” He chuckled. “Must be weak like the rest of your Clan.”

Deadly ruby eyes narrowed directly at the shaven head boy, sending shivers down the boy's spine. He jumped back, and started to berate himself. ' _What was that? Why did I suddenly feel like I have to get away from her?_ ' From the corner of his eye, he saw the other remaining Etoile fighter. ' _Best to get rid of this guy fast, before he starts throwing some support spells._ ' He glanced back at the girl. ' _Can't allow her to get any more worse._ '

Tsugawa disappeared. Kagami took off from her spot, and quickly picked up her battle axe. Then she leaped high into the air, and landed a few feet in front of her opponent. She slammed her axe down on the floor, and the concrete started to cave in, spreading out towards the boy. Tsugawa nearly lost his balance, and he started to jump around, nearing the edge of the battle field.

“Sorry, Sempai.” The girl spoke, without look back at the raven haired teen.

Izuki raised a brow. “Kagami?”

“I need your help.” She picked up her axe, and she lowered herself, squatting down slightly. “We're going to win, and all I need is your support. Throw everything you can, and don't worry about me. We have to stop him at all cost.”

Silver eyes glistened. The elder teen smiled, and nodded. “Of course.” Izuki's hold on his lance tightened. ' _What's this feeling? I know I could trust Kagami, but why does it feel like all my worry has washed away? Like there is no doubt that this battle is almost over?_ ' He felt a warmth blanket him, and he welcomed it. He could have sworn that the girl before him was glowing in that sparkling white light. He took in a deep breath, and slowly released it through his pursed lips.

 

* * *

 

“Something has changed.”

Kise glanced over at the tall green head beside him. Then turned back his attention to the battle below. “The way she moves is different than before. Must be the enhancement spell that her teammate cast on her.” He commented, carefully watching the red haired Knight.

“It's almost the same when she fought against you and Midorima.” Kasamatsu remarked. “However, it's not as fluid, especially when moving with that opponent of hers from Lò.” He frowned, and narrowed his eyes. “She's more guarded.”

“Whoa!” Takao gasped, nearly pressing his face against the glass. “Those are not ordinary restricting spells.” The three other fighters looked at the known Sorcerer among them. “One thing, usually restrictive spells are limited to about five target points, when cast in multiples. Secondly, I've seen magic circles for restrictive spells, and they don't suddenly stretch out like that. Usually Warlocks are able to cast restrictive spells that wide.”

A multitude of magic circles spread out all over the floor. Tsugawa leaped away to miss stepping on them. When he jumped back further, the magic circles seemed to have grown wider in radius, leaving no empty space. The boy was stuck.

“And Kagami-cchi is moving around like those spells are not bothering her.” Kise whistled, impressed. “Like that one fight when a Sorcerer tried to bind her.” Kagami went for the offense, but the boy was moving around to dodge and deflect the girl's attacks, even when he was stuck in place.

“But she seems to be avoiding the paralyze spells.” The younger raven haired boy noticed. Izuki waved a hand, and the girl was encased in the silver aura, with a wide magic circle below her. “Oh! This has to be the final attack! The spell cast on her is for energy enhancement. They're totally going to release the big guns now.”

 

* * *

 

Kagami started to spin around, holding on to her battle axe. Then she released it. Tsugawa moved to one side, barely missing from getting hit. He stood up straight and smirked. He was about to remark, but stopped when he saw the girl charging up with power, blaring with her red aura.

“Don't forget about me!” Izuki called out from his spot. He was encased in his silver aura, and he reached out his hand.

Tsugawa looked over his shoulder, and saw the widely spinning axe coming back at him. He widened his eyes. ' _How!?_ ' He leaned back, missing from being hit.

To the side, Hyuuga was grinning widely. ' _The fast rotation of the axe is creating some form of wind around it, like a mini tornado, and Izuki, being able to manipulate wind, is using that to his advantage. It's like he could control the axe._ ' He glanced over at their tall female fighter. ' _When did our idiot Rookie become smart and attentive?_ '

Kagami snapped open her eyes, and raised her hand. The silver magic circle started to glow red. She threw her arms out wide. “Scorching Rain!”

A multitude of basketball sized fire balls formed within the space of the battle arena. Everyone looked around in slight awe at such a majestic display, but Tsugawa had a sinking feeling, looking at the balls of fire, not wanting to be like a moth to a flame. He started to struggle, seeing the light of the magic circle slowly fading as time continued on. Kagami lowered her chin, but eyes trained at her rival. “I'm sorry.” She whispered, before clapping her hands together.

One after the other, the balls of flames started to pelt the spot that the last Lò member in the battle field stood. They all went in quick successions, and would instantly be replaced by another fire ball. All too soon, the area that the boy stood became too bright for everyone to keep their eyes on, that they had to turn away. Then an explosion followed, and the whole room shook once again.

 

* * *

 

Kise threw his arms up, laughing. “She did it!” He cheered.

Midorima frowned, narrowing his eyes. ' _Not even_ he _could summon such fire spell like that... unless..._ ' His thoughts were interrupted, when Kise threw an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, Midorima-cchi! Let's go down there and congratulate Kuroko-cchi and Kagami-cchi.”

The green head grew annoyed, and slapped the blond's hand, off his shoulder. “I will do no such thing.” He snapped.

Takao laughed. “Aw, you really don't want to go see Kagami-san? Maybe take her out for some congratulatory dinner while they're here?” He spoke slyly, while nudging the taller male.

Midorima flushed, and quickly adjusted his glasses. “Such win doesn't necessarily deserve some dinner. It was already predicted that Leos are the highest ranked today, and they could have already acquired a prize of their own.” He turned his head away from his fellow clansman, scowling. “And, it's not like I'm particularly eager to face Kuroko or Kagami, anyway.”

The raven head snorted, and tried to hold in his laugh. ' _And yet, you pay so close attention to their Zodiac signs._ '

“No way!” Kise huffed. “I'm not going to allow you to take Kagami-cchi out!”

“Hah!?” The green head looked at the blond incredulously. Then he glared. “It's not like I want to take Kagami out. And who said you get a say in whether I could or could not go out with her, even if I really don't?” In the back ground, Takao was holding his stomach, while hanging off Kasamatsu and holding his laugh at such scene.

Kise pointed at the taller male accusingly. “You _do_ want to take her out! That's why you are really here!”

“No I don't!” The green head argued. Then he turned to his partner, glaring. “Takao, we're leaving. There is no point in arguing with this fool.” He growled, then headed towards the exit. The raven head quickly followed behind, chuckling.

“Honestly, making such a scene.” Kasamatsu scrunched his nose with distaste.

The blond grabbed hold of his upperclassman, tugging on his sleeve. “Let's hurry, Sempai! We might get to run into them before they leave.”

The older teen glared with his bright blue eyes. “No, we're going back.” He barked.

“But Sempai!” Kise whined, while running after the shorter male. The blond suddenly paused in his chase, and looked over his shoulder. He blinked his honey colored eyes. ' _Huh? Was that?_ '

“Hey! Hurry up, or I'll leave you behind!” Kasamatsu shouted. Shaking his head, Kise quickly trailed behind his team captain.

 

* * *

 

“So, did you get what you need, Momoi?”

Magenta eyes slightly glistened, tearing away from the scene below, from the other side of the viewing window. A girl with long pink hair looked up at the tall male beside her. He had raven hair, with glasses over his slightly closed eyes. Momoi smiled. “Yes, Captain.” She saluted, playfully.

There was an annoyed click of tongue. The girl looked over her shoulder at the taller male with short wheat blond hair, who was scowling. “How come _he_ didn't come too? Isn't the whole team supposed to be here?” The male grumbled.

The teen that Momoi acknowledged as the captain, grinned and adjusted his glasses. “Oh, you know him.” He waved a hand. “He could do whatever he likes, as long as he shows results.” He glanced over at his team, with two others standing at the other side of the blond.

“Um, Captain... why did we come to observe this particular Clan?” A short boy with light brown hair questiond. He suddenly just flustered when eyes were on him, and he started to bow several times. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”

The bespectacled teen raised a hand to stop the profusely apologizing boy. “Nothing special. Just following some rumors of a tiny Clan having defeated teams with a General in them.” The three other males all turned to their Captain with surprise in their expression. “And I'm particularly interested in that Knight of theirs.” He mused.

“She is quiet peculiar.” Momoi murmured with calculative eyes. ' _And... why doesn't Tetsu-kun seem to pay such close attention to her?_ ' She shook her head to fought back the pang of jealousy growing in her chest.

“So, shall we head back?”

 

* * *

 

The headquarter mess hall became lively, with tables filled with food, and decorations scattered around. There was soft upbeat music playing in the back ground, and some dancing lights moving around the ceiling and floors.

“A toast!” Aida raised her glass high, filled with nectar made out from the fruit trees grown in their backyard. The girl was beaming widely. “For the victory of our first issued formal challenge, and defeating one of the top tier Clans! We finally got our own Chemist in our town. Now business will be booming!”

“KANPAI!”

Koganei inched close to the brunette. “We have to know, Riko. What was it you were betting on, if we did lose the challenge?” He asked.

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, you know the Artifact for Ore Mining.”

Spitting out his drink, Hyuuga looked up at their leader with disbelief. “Are you serious!?” He nearly shouted with outrage. “Don't you know how important ore mining is? We need it for weapon and armor upgrades, and well as a good source of trading.”

Aida huffed, crossing her arms. “Well, it's a good thing we won.” She raised her nose.

Off to the side, Kagami was lying on the couch, watching her teammates having fun in their little party. Her body ached from the battle, especially when she was still adjusting with her new temporary weapon. She practically passed out after the battle, because she used up all her energy. It took more out of her in using the giant axe than it did with her usual giant sword.

Suddenly her head was lifted up from its spot, and then placed down on a comfortable cushion. She blinked, and turned her head up, seeing Kuroko volunteer his own lap as a pillow for her. “You did very well, Kagami-kun, in adjusting with the giant battle axe. And that new spell was an added bonus for you.” The boy praised.

The girl turned her head back to watch her clansmen. She waved a hand nonchalantly. “There's no need to praise me for anything.” Her eyes trained on one particular person. “Although, Koganei-sempai would be more admirable, because he can use various weapons in the battle field.”

Smiling softly, the boy looked up, after hearing some cheering. “Well, Koganei-sempai has not mastered any of them, however. You, Kagami-kun, was able to master a different weapon, and at a short time.”

The red head light snorted. “I'm still feeling sore from using the axe. But more than anything, I prefer heavy swords. I just don't know how Mitobe-sempai likes using axes.” Her ruby eyes scanned the group, and her lips curled up into a light smile. “All our Sempai are great in their own way, after spending time with them, and fighting along side with them. They work so well with one another.” She slowly closed her eyes, reveling in the happy and comfortable atmosphere. “I'm... proud to be part of Etoile Clan.” She murmured softly.

Looking down at the girl, Kuroko's smile grew. “Me too.” He replied. He raised his head. “Though I had some good times back in my old Clan, that was in the past, and right now, I am a part of Etoile Clan.”

Unconsciously burying her head against her pillow, her hand reached up on front of her face, and clutched on to the boy's pants. “Why... why do I have this strange feeling? Like something terrible will happen?” She whispered.

Light blue eyes blinked, and Kuroko looked down at the girl, studying the side profile of the red head. Kagami chuckles when she saw her clansmen start acting silly, and then shook her head. “No, it's probably nothing.” Then slowly the lids of her eyes fluttered close.

Raising a hand, the boy gently pulled back some bangs from the girl's face. He lightly bit the inside of his cheek. ' _I also hope that this foreboding feeling is nothing._ ' He closed his eyes. ' _I'll protect you Kagami-kun, even if it will cost me my life..._ '

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-hah! Here is a long one for you! It was supposed to be two separate chapters, but I got stuck somewhere in the middle and combined them. This was rushed, so there are a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. I'll get back to it and fix it some time later. I also decided that I'll continue and focus more on this fic. I didn't forget my other ones, but this story is turning out to become longer than I anticipated. There is so much I want to put on here to build up this story. But once in a while I may dish out the next chapters of the other ones, if I ever get stuck. Plus, I've become very busy with RL, so updates may be a bit slow. However, I did start with the next chapter, because I kinda got excited about it.
> 
> So Seihou High appeared, but as some side rivals. I did say I needed some girl fighters, so I changed some and kept the names, because I'm not good in making up names. I just kept the main three recognizable characters from there. And to not be all picky, this battle doesn't reflect the canon basketball match they had. Actually none of the battles reflect any of the basketball match. Which I'm sure you already knew. But just saying.
> 
> And look at the other new characters that have appeared! Guess what's coming up next!
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
>  **Lò ( _THAI Aegis_ ) Clan**  
> Base of operations: **Kæ̂k̄hị City** ( _THAI resolve_ )  
> Leader: N/A  
> Number of currently active members: 100+  
> Predominant Classes: Brawlers  
> Clan Rank: V  
>  **Squad, Team 1**  
>  Squad Leader: N/A  
> Team Captain: Iwamura Tsutomu  
> Number of active members: 5  
> Predominant Classes: Brawlers  
> Team Rank: III
> 
> Class Types  
>  ** _Iwamura_**  
>  Class: Guard
> 
>  ** _Kasuga_**  
>  Class: Brawler
> 
>  ** _Tsugawa_**  
>  Class: Brawler
> 
>  ** _Oomurou_**  
>  Class: Brawler
> 
>  ** _Sakamoto_**  
>  Class: Guard


	10. The Ominous Winds

The city was called the 'Market Place'. It was a hub of a variety of running businesses that ranged from selling all sorts of items, stalls for trading, stores for different types of food, and some gambling for fun. It was said that almost everything could be found at the Market Place. However, it wasn't so grand looking, or big like the Imperial City. It was a circular city, organized by different districts that comprised of specific and similar items. All weapons and armor could be found in one district, rare materials in another, food also had its own district, etc. There were mostly Chosen walking around the streets, while Phasma manned the stores and stalls.

Kagami was looking around, with her jaw slightly hanging open. She and Kuroko went to explore together, as the others all spread out to do their own business. The whole Clan had decided to take a field trip to the Market Place, which Kagami wondered why they haven't been to the city earlier.

“ _This is as good as any day for Etoile Clan to take a break._ ” Aida announced to them earlier. _“What better way than to go shopping!_ '

The red head was pouting, looking at the low numbers on the small holographic screen that came out from the handheld device she was issued by the Clan. “I finally have all the materials I needed to get my sword fixed, and half the materials already took out a chunk of my money. But the upgrades and repair is major robbery!” She groaned. The pair just came out from the blacksmith.

“They can only make the best here, Kagami-kun, and for a fair price. If you got it fixed at the Imperial City, then you would most likely be broke for three years.” Kuroko remarked.

Kagami sighed, feeling down. “And they had those treats here, but I can't afford them.” She sulked. The light haired boy turned towards his partner.

“Kagami-cchi!” A voice shouted from a distance. The pair stopped, and dared to look behind them. There was the familiar blond, enthusiastically waving towards their direction. He quickly jogged his way up to the girl. “Oh! And you're here too, Kuroko-cchi!” He nearly squealed with excitement.

“Kise.” The red head grumbled with a pout.

“Kise-kun.” The shortest boy greeted with a small bow at his head.

The member of Wahr quickly hooked his arms around the two, smiling widely. “What luck to find you both here! What are you guys up to?”

“Wah! It's Kise Ryouta!” A girl squealed.

Several heads turned, and attention locked on to the tall blond. Kise was suddenly pushed away from Kagami and Kuroko, being ambushed and surrounded by a mass of squealing girls. The blond laughed, and gave them all a charming smile. The red head watched a bit distastefully at the scene. “Kise-kun is a model back at home.” Kuroko commented. Kagami blinked, trying to see what all the other girls see in the blond. The boy sighed lightly, watching the red head's expression. “Let us just go, Kagami-kun. There is no need to waste time waiting around for him. He will be very busy. All part of being popular, I believe.”

Kagami shrugged, and turned to follow the shorter male. “Hey, Kuroko. How about you help a friend out, and treat me out for some lunch, yeah?”

“I would rather have money in my account than any empty one, Kagami-kun.” The light haired boy remarked.

The red head pouted. “Stingy!”

The two explored more of the city, Kuroko pointing out places of interest that the girl may like. By the time lunch hour came around, and the girl's stomach loudly protesting of running on empty, they were making their way towards the eatery district. “Kuroko-cchi! Kagami-cchi! Why didn't you wait for me!?” The familiar blond cried, as he ran towards them. He threw his arms around the two, pulling them close to him. “And here I was going to treat you out to Gravi Cafe, where they sell one of the most tasty original dessert of the whole OW.” He pouted, clinging on to the two.

Kagami perked at the words of being treated, and she turned to the blond, grabbing his hand into hers. Kise was nearly thrown off guard at the sudden action, and blushed at the closeness of the red head's face to his. “You mean the Starry Puffs?” Her eyes glittered, and cheeks slightly colored.

The blond smiled widely. “Yup!” To the side, he slyly smirked at the light blue haired boy. Kuroko was glaring needles at his former clansman.

“Let's go!” She excitedly tugged on the blond's hand. Kise smoothly wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, and led her through the streets of the city. Trailing behind, Kuroko was radiating in a dark aura. The blond seemed to have not sensed it, as he was in cloud nine.

“Oh look, Shin-chan!”

Kise's mood was cut short, as he, Kagami and Kuroko looked over to see a recognizable pair from Animus Clan. Instantly, glares were thrown from three sides. The Sorcerer of Animus bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. The red head slightly tilted her head, pulling away from the grasp of the tall blond. “Midorima... and his partner.”

The raven haired teen pouted. “Takao. Takao Kazunari.” He came up to the tall girl, and took her hand. “We haven't been properly introduced, Kagami-san. It's a pleasure to meet you.” He gave a light kiss on the girl's knuckles, and instantly felt three sets of deadly glares on the back of his head. ' _If looks could kill, I would have been killed about ten times over. Gods, these guys are too amusing!_ '

The red head slipped her hand away, a bit embarrassed at such gesture. “Yeah.”

Kise quickly hooked his arm around the girl's, and pulled her close to his side. “Well, it's nice meeting you guys. Midorima-cchi.” He have a short salute to the green haired boy. “But, we're on our way to have some lunch. So...”

“What a coincidence!” Takao clapped his hands together. “We're heading to the food district too!”

A big hand grabbed the brunet's head, nearly squeezing it. Takao squirmed at the pressure on his skull, laughing it off. “What are you doing, Takao?” Midorima hissed.

Kagami shrugged her shoulders. “We'll if we're heading the same direction...” She looked at Kise, and pointed down the street. “It's down here, right? I'm really starving. And you said you'll treat me.”

“Only the Starry Puffs, Kagami-cchi.” The blond quickly said.

“How about Shin-chan and I treat you for lunch, Kagami-san?” The Animus Sorcerer offered, with a big grin.

“Oi, Takao! I never agreed to this!” The bespectacled male growled. But his anger quickly changed, when he saw the glittering eyes of the red haired girl. He clenched his jaw, and turned his head to the side, adjusting his glasses. Takao was chuckling to himself. Off to the side, both Kuroko and Kise were grinning darkly. ' _You'll regret that offer._ '

 

* * *

 

“It seems that according to Momoi-san, Aomine-kun has became worse than when we were still in Kiseki.” Kuroko spoke, recalling his meeting with the pink haired girl back at Earth.

At a big booth of the restaurant sat the three former members of the Kiseki Clan. Takao and Kagami were at the counter, ordering and picking up the food, leaving the titled Miraculous Generals alone. Kise and Kuroko sat at one side of the booth, while Midorima across from them.

The green head placed back his glasses, after cleaning them. “You're more than likely to have a very hard time, if ever you do encounter Aomine.” He looked up at the light blue haired boy. “It's clear that everyone has witnessed the great changes that he has been through, advancing in power faster than any of us.”

“Momoi-san made me promise to stop him when we do meet.” The shortest boy replied. “We are going to save him.”

“Kuroko-cchi,” Kise took the boy's hand, giving a light squeeze. “You know that I'll be there to support you. After all, we were all once teammates and great friends. I want to also help you save our friends. You and Kagami-cchi had a hard time fighting Midorima-cchi, even after I came to fight too. ” He slightly frowned, furrowing his brows. “If two Miraculous Generals had a hard time with only one, then imagine how many it would take to try and stop Aomine-cchi.” He bowed his head, giving another squeeze of the light haired boy's hand.

“Could you assure the safety of Kagami-cchi, the one who freed us and has a special power that no one could deny? After all, Kuroko-cchi always ends up getting severely wounded in battles, leaving Kagami-cchi vulnerable, even though I believe she is still a capable fighter.” The blond looked back up, staring deeply into baby blue eyes. “I feel like that we all need Kagami-cchi, that she's very important. And if her fight ends now, then when she returns back here to OW, it might be already too late to save the others. They could be too far gone into this darkness that somehow has a hold of all of us.” Kuroko tore his gaze away from his former clansman, pulling his hand back. He bowed his head, not saying anything.

Minutes of silence came between them. Not really one to break it, the green head suddenly spoke up. “What has happened to all of us back in Kiseki Clan?” It was a burning question that couldn't leave him, and he knew that the other two also questioned it too. Midorima frowned. “How was it that we even got this darkness in us? What has happened to lead to the end of our once great Clan?” He glanced up between the two. “It's like our memories were either erased or altered.” Then his emerald eyes honed on to the shortest male. “How was it you were not so greatly affected by it, Kuroko, since we have all been fighting together in the same team as we all first entered into Kiseki Clan?”

Kuroko slowly shook his head. “I honestly cannot remember clearly the truth. Everything has been a blur to me, until... I ran into Kagami-kun...”

“We're back!”

Four trays were set upon the table. Two trays in particular had a mountain of food piled on top of one another. Midorima's eyes twitch, and looked up accusingly at his fellow clansman. “What is that?” He growled.

The raven head grinned, and pushed Kagami into the booth, setting her between himself and Midorima. The green head nearly choked when the girl bumped shoulders with him. He pressed himself against the wall. The girl didn't seem to complain, and set the two trays in front of her.

“It's what Kagami-san wanted to eat, of course!” Takao chirped, and separated the orders among the males. The green head felt his eyes twitch again, just as the red head said a small prayer, before devouring her food rather ravenously. The raven head chuckled, watching the girl, with awe. Then he looked up at his partner, raising up a handheld device, and shaking it. “Oh, and thanks for lunch, Shin-chan!”

The green head widened his eyes, and started to rummage through his pockets. “Takao!” He growled, shaking with rage. In front of them, Kuroko and Kise were laughing inwardly as they watched their former clansman's suffering.

The red head wiped her mouth, and looked over at the boy beside her. “Right, thanks.” She smiled. Midorima pressed his back hard against the wall behind him. The two boys across them were glowering. The green head adjusted his glasses, and nodded, before turning to his own food.

“Oh!” The brunet perked, and was grinning widely. “I was talking about it with Kagami-san.” He looked up at the light blue haired boy. “How long would you two be staying here? I brought up the idea of showing Kagami-san around the night life here in the Market Place.” He tilted his head, smiling cheekily.

“Takao said there was really cool stuff that they only sell at night, and this popular restaurant that has some good food that also only opens at night.” The girl spoke, after swallowing her food down. She looked up at her fellow clansman, eyes sparkling. Kuroko's expression softened a bit, not able to argue with her.

“No fair!” Kise whined. “I wanted to take Kagami-cchi to see the night life here!”

Takao chuckled. “I bet you wanted to take her all by yourself.” He said teasingly.

Baby blue eyes and emerald green eyes coldly narrowed at the golden haired boy. The blond squirmed a bit in his seat. Kuroko raised his head, looking directly at the red head. “Kagami-kun can't ever be alone with Kise-kun. It's dangerous.”

Kise flinched. “Wha-!?”

Glasses were adjusted higher. “Kagami, don't be tricked by this fool. He is a player, and he may try to charm his way into forcing you to do inappropriate things.” Midorima spoke.

“What do you even think of me as? No way am I like that!” The blond cried. “Why are you all being mean to me!?”

Takao was slapping his leg and holding on his stomach, as he laughed at such amusing scene. Kagami furrowed her brows, frowning. “Hey, I can take care of myself, thank you very much!” She looked at the blond. “Stop crying like that, you look horrible.” Kise's breath hitched, and he was rubbing his face, protesting that he wasn't crying. Then the girl slightly tilted her head. “I don't know what the fuss is all about, but I don't mind staying out, since our leader gave us a day off. So why not all of us go together then, since we're all here already?”

The four boys became silent, staring at the girl with slightly wide eyes. They suddenly all turned their heads away from the girl, covering their mouths. They couldn't stand staring at the girl for too long, less they did something to break that untouchable atmosphere around her. ' _Don't ever change, Kagami(kun)(cchi)(san)!_ ' The red head blinked, a bit confused at their reaction. She shrugged, and went back to eating.

 

* * *

 

“ _The Dungeon is known as T112._ ”

All the fighting members of Etoile Clan stood in front of a tall round stone tower. It was wider than a football field, and so tall that no one could see the top, as it disappeared into the dark clouds. There were a few open windows scattered about, and one set of tall double doors. However, everyone knew that once inside, it wouldn't reflect the structure of the outside.

Fukuda gave a sweeping glance over all his clansmen. “And so, what are we all doing here?” He questioned.

There was a sly chuckle resonating in their heads. “ _This Dungeon is a long standing and very known one. It has never been conquered since its appearance since about thirty years ago._ ” Their leader explained. “ _This particular one produces a lot of Class D 'decoy' Artifacts all around the place. It's most likely to hide the true Artifact of this Dungeon, that's why it's still standing. However, these 'decoy' Artifacts are just as good as real ones._ ”

“So you're telling us to farm for these decoys?” Hyuuga sighed, rubbing his temple. “I mean, I don't have a problem with that, since it will be good to sell and trade any of the excess Artifacts we don't need. But it's all the Guardians that we're going to face that will be troublesome.” Most of the boys stared ahead exasperated and disbelief.

Aida giggled. “ _Oh come on. Just think about is as a way to get some training! It will be fun!_ ” Most of the members groaned, and slowly made their way towards the entrance.

Once inside, Koganei looked at their only female in their group. “So, Kagami, can you pinpoint where the real Artifact is?” He questioned.

The red head furrowed her brows, then crossed her arms. Her eyes closed, as she slightly stuck out her lower lip. “I can see so many paths that are leading to all these 'decoy' Artifacts.” She tilted her head to one side. “They're all kind of overshadowing the presence of the real one. But, I can make out the real one.” She opened her eyes, nodding to herself.

“ _You can look for the real one later._ ” Aida argued through their connection. “ _Go gather as much Artifacts as you can, and have a blast fighting all those Guardian monsters!_ ”

 

* * *

 

It felt like hours have been spent in just one Dungeon for the Etoile Clan. At the beginning, they had split up into three different teams, exploring what the mysterious and magical place had to offer. It started out at a chamber with three dark passageways, that leads through nearly endless tunnels, in front of the giant double door entrance. Then they would run into a new chamber, where monsters appeared, with more tunnels to choose. When they finally reached the Heart Chamber with an Artifact, they would fight a Guardian monster. After taking the Artifact as a prize in defeating the boss monster, they would be sent back to the entrance chamber, with the double doors at their back, and three different passageways.

Like their leader had told them, they were able to gain some fighting experience and practice. After a few Artifacts were taken, and they had to return to start, they began to add a little more fun to their excursion. They made it into a competition, by how many Artifacts they would acquire by a certain time, or who had the last hit on the Guardian monster. They would even draw straws to shuffle around team members, as long as it was balanced in the eyes of their great leader. Then soon, they decided to make it a competition between the first years and their seniors.

Kagami slightly jumped, as if a bolt struck her, quickly raising her head up in alert. She looked over her shoulder at the opened doors of the Heart Chamber. Unconsciously, she gripped the area above her heart, suddenly feeling anxious. In the background, the four other first years were fighting a group of troll monsters, with its leader somewhere among them, as it blended with the group.

Kuroko glanced up towards the girl, seeing her still state. “Kagami-kun, is something wrong?” He questioned cautiously.

With a gasp, the girl widened her ruby eyes. “Everyone duck, now!” She shouted. With out question, the four threw themselves on to the floor. Kagami was blaring with a red aura, as she spun fast in place, holding out her battle axe. Then she released it, with fires raging around the spinning weapon. It flew across, easily destroying the troll monsters. When the girl caught her axe, there were no more monsters in sight. She narrowed her eyes to the closest person to the Artifact. “Kawahara! Hurry and get that Artifact now!” She shouted urgently.

Kawahara sprinted towards the glowing object on the pedestal. Furihata and Fukuda looked at each other with question. Kuroko was frowning, while carefully watching the red head. The boy touched the Artifact, and in an instant, they were transported back to the entrance chamber.

The light blue haired boy neared the girl. “What is wrong, Kagami-kun?” He asked again.

The red head was looking troubled, staring at the three passageways in front of them. “Something doesn't feel right.” She murmured, eyes quickly scanning between the three tunnels.

The other three became worried. “What do you mean?” Furihata carefully asked.

Kagami gritted her teeth. “Something is happening to the Sempai... and... I can't hear Aida-sempai anymore.” The four sharply looked up, and became a bit distraught. It confirmed Kagami's worry of their lost connection to their Guide. Then the red head pointed to the left path. “There! We need to hurry.” Then she took off. The others running after her closely behind.

It felt like her heart throbbed. Ruby eyes narrowed, and looked over her shoulder. Kuroko, noticing the slowing of the girl's pace, brought attention to her. “What is it, Kagami-kun?” The others looked up intently.

The girl shook her head, and turned back to the path ahead of her, picking back up her pace. “We need to get to our Sempai.” She replied, sternly.

 

* * *

 

“Oh? Some unexpected guests have decided to join the party.”

The chamber was slightly big, accommodating the two Clans that were present, and with much room to move in. Across the area was the giant double doors that lead to a Heart Chamber, and no one has yet to touch it. Their five elder clansmen were engaged in battle with four other members of a different Clan. One looked like a boy about their age, who held in his hands a crossbow, and was standing around the edge of the chamber. Beside him was a tall male with glasses, who was casually standing there with his arms crossed, grinning widely at them. He was the one that noticed the arrival of the younger members of the opposing Clan. At the middle of the fight was a tall wheat blond haired male, closely dressed in a modernized karate gi, with the sleeves ripped off, almost close to the one that Tsuchida was wearing. The last one had spiky dark hair, and had less armor and more leather, almost like Koganei. Hyuuga and the others all turned their heads, and looked to be relieved as seeing their younger clansmen. Kagami frowned, her hands clenching tightly into fists at her sides.

The bespectacled male from the rival clan raised his hands, smiling in a chilling way. “Welcome to a battle between Squad Zeta, Team 1 of the Wúqíng Clan versus the whole of Etoile Clan!”

“Sempai!” The first years cried out, and tried to run into the room. But they were bounced back by an invisible wall, preventing them from fully entering the chamber. Kagami gritted her teeth, pounding a fist against the barrier. The three other freshmen were shouting encouragement to their upperclassmen, as they fought behind the barrier. Kuroko silently watched, with his calculative wide eyes, and apathetic expression. He glanced over at the red head, seeing the desperation and anxiousness on her face. She was pressing her hands hard against the invisible wall. That was when he felt like his stomach do a flip. ' _It's that horrible feeling... why?_ '

Tsuchida was mostly engaged in a hand to hand fight with the taller blond male, seeing as they were both brawlers. Kuroko overheard that his name was Wakamatsu. Koganei was fighting with various weapons at his disposal, against the tall dark haired male, who seemed to also be fighting with different weapons that suited him based on various distances, or to suit his style. From Kuroko's observation, Koganei's opponent was more than likely a Freelancer also, and he was called Susa. But his two upperclassmen had help from Mitobe, who would throw out his protection spells, or push away the other fighter from ever trying to get the upper hand. He was also blocking the shots coming from the smallest member of the rival clan, with his crossbow. That bespectacled male called him Sakurai. To the side, Hyuuga and Izuki stood, giving out their support whenever they could. It was the male with glasses that has Kuroko much to worry about, as he was just standing there with his arms crossed. He still wasn't able to figure out what Class he could be, even based on his attire. He guessed that he was the captain of the team, and his name was Imayoshi.

' _However, even with the support, from the protection of a Guard, and enhancements from a Sorcerer, why is it that the other Clan seems to have the upper hand? It's like they are reading the moves of our Sempai... Guide they have a capable Guide with them?_ ' The light haired boy wondered, watching the battle closely. ' _I have heard of the Wúqíng Clan in the past. They are ruthless and very strong. What are they doing here in a low level Dungeon like this?_ '

“Alright everyone, enough playing around.” Imayoshi called out, giving a disturbing smile, sending chills down the Etoile Clan's back. He peered over at the five younger clansmen, stuck behind the barrier. “Can't have their dear Kohai to keep on waiting for the imminent doom of their Sempai.” He grinned widely, his tone sickeningly playful.

Kagami's breath hitched when she saw a film of darkness surround the four members of the Wúqíng Clan. Kuroko was stunned, and felt his stomach drop. ' _No..._ ' Gritting her teeth, Kagami started pounding hard against the barriers. ' _No!_ '

The crossbow in Sakurai's hands disappeared, and changed into a long bow. He pulled the string, and started powering up, with dark energy gathering in the hand that drew the string. “Catastrophic Barrage!”

Susa jumped back, and was gathering energy. “Master Artillery Brigade!” More than fifty weapons appeared all around him, and were glowing in a small film of darkness.

Wakamatsu went into a stance, moving his hands around in a fluid motion. Then his body was surrounded by a pulsing dark energy. “Judgment Strikes!”

The three released their attacks on the elder members of Etoile, and cries of pain were heard echoing in the chamber. Kagami shook her head, not able to stand the cries of her clansman. “NO!” With one hard punch with her fist, the barrier shattered, and strong winds blew hard against them, shock waves from the released power-up attacks from the rival clan. Several sets of eyes widened in shock, at the barrier being broken. To the side, Imayoshi adjusted his glasses, smiling in such a sinister way, humming in amusement.

Kagami quickly rushed in, taking out her giant axe, and standing between the Wúqíng Clan, and her sempai. Closely behind her was her proclaimed shadow, eyes glaring at the opponents. The other three rushed to their upperclassmen, who were all on the ground, swept up to the side of the chamber. “We won't allow you to touch our Sempai again.” The red head growled threateningly. The grip on her axe tightened around the handle. Kuroko pulled his mask up, and took out a set of knives between his fingers.

“I'd like to see you try.” The wheat blond haired male scoffed.

Without a word, the pair moved, and engaged in battle with the Wúqíng members, showing their flawless teamwork. Kagami was near to dancing with her giant weapon, and unleashing her fire spells, as knives and shadow spells were thrown, trailing behind her. The two covered the backs of each other, leaving no room for their opponent to touch either of them. They were able to make all four of them move from their spots, especially Imayoshi, who showed his hand, by using a chain whip as his preferred weapon.

To the side, Kawahara was healing all his upperclassmen, as Fukuda and Furihata stood in front of them, watching Kagami and Kuroko battle the four members from Wúqíng. “They look evenly matched, and none of them are backing down.” Furihata murmured, clutching tightly on to his staff. “I want to help them, but I'm afraid I would break the flow of the battle, and something wrong will happen.”

Hyuuga looked up at their Cleric, placing a hand on his upper arm. “Thanks, Kawahara.” He got help in standing up, and he adjusted his glasses. His steal gray eyes glanced up, watching the smiling face of the captain of the team from Wúqíng. “I remember, their squad attended the silver summer tournaments last year. I'll admit we are no match for them... but Kagami and Kuroko... they...” He narrowed his eyes, seeing a glimmer of a dark aura around the four members of their rivals. ' _What is this feeling I'm getting? I don't like it at all._ '

Cracking his whip hard, Kagami jumped back, in front of her whole Clan, with Kuroko standing slightly behind her. Imayoshi pulled back his chain whip, and smiled. “Ah, so the rumors were right. Etoile Clan's prized fighters are really a sight to behold.” Then his expression darkened, as he open his narrowed eyes, looking directly at the Etoile pair. “Too bad we're going to get rid of you.”

The darkness around the four members grew around them, causing Etoile Clan to stiffen, and become wary. Imayoshi raised his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, and cracked his chain whip to the side. A magic circle appeared in front of him, and a chilling wave emitted from it.

Hyuuga widened his eyes. “A Tamer!” He hissed.

The magic circle widened further, and something was slowly rising from it. Everyone froze when an over seven feet tall shadow monster appeared in front of them. Imayoshi chuckled lightly. “Max-kun has been looking for some playmates for a while.”

Fukuda shook his head, taking a step back. “He's that strong to tame a Rank IV monster. And something from the badlands at that.” His voice quivered. Being a fellow Tamer Class as well, he felt inferior to the older male in front of him.

Kagami dropped the head of her axe to the floor beside her, holding on to the handle of her weapon. “We can take him.” She narrowed her eyes at the beady glowing red eyes. The monster had no defined features, being all in shadow, but it had large arms and hands, and big red glowing eyes. It was slightly slouched over, its huge arms hanging in front of it.

“Just think of it as a Guardian that's standing in our way to the Artifact.” Hyuuga said, taking out his long rifle. “We'll work together and show them our Clan's strength.” The others all took a stand, with their weapons in hand. Hyuuga glanced over at Furihata. “We're support, you got that? We're focusing on the fighters that will go against the monster.” The younger boy nodded. He looked at Izuki. “You're Kagami and Kuroko's support. They will take care of the Wúqíng members.” He saw the surprised expressions from the others, then pointed at the monster. “That thing is an obstacle. It's Ranked IV, and we need to take care of it. We are all aware that right now, Kagami and Kuroko are capable of fighting Wúqíng. So as their clansmen, we support them by taking out the distraction. And then, we'll all fight together to keep the honor and pride of our Clan!” The other grew determined.

' _Plus, the whole clan seems to know all of our weaknesses. They planned out how well to fight through the holes of our attacks._ ' Hyuuga observed, thinking back to their earlier battle before their kohai appeared. ' _That's why it seemed like they had the upper hand. Maybe they have a Guide as well... But it's obvious that they do not know how to handle Kuroko and Kagami... yet... That's why it's better for them to fight the Wúqíng members..._ ' He frowned.

Kagami was grinning. “Shall we, Kuroko?” The boy nodded, and seemed to have disappeared from sight. Then the red head rushed across the chamber to the other end were all the members of Wúqíng stood.

The monster roared, and raised its heavy arms. Then it slammed it back down, to hit the girl. A barrier was raised, and Kagami continued on running straight through, dragging her axe behind her. Then one after the other, the members of Etoile started their attack on the summoned monster. Izuki's eyes narrowed, and he started to glow in a silver light.

The red head was a few feet away from the four members, all standing defensively prepared. A wave of shadow rose, and crashed down upon them, but they jumped away to dodge the attack, separating them. The battle axe came down, nearly slicing the youngest member. Sakurai cried out in surprise, and fell to his bottom. He clumsily raised his crossbow at the girl, but then knives began to rain down upon him. Wakamatsu quickly grabbed the boy before he got skewered.

“Honestly, pay attention.” The blond tisked, and set the boy down. Sakurai was continuously bowing while apologizing. Wakamatsu looked up, and pushed the brunet to the side, while reaching out to deflect the incoming battle axe. But then fire erupted, and it kissed the boy's arm. Wakamatsu stepped back, and nearly lost his balance when the axe bashed into the ground, breaking the flat surface. Then the fire blared out, pushing both the blond and the brunet.

Guns started to fire, and Kagami hid behind her axe. Something caught her eye, and she gasped when she saw Kuroko caught by the chain whip. They both turned their heads with shock to see Imayoshi grinning darkly. “Finally caught you.” He said in a coy tone.

“Catastrophic Barrage!” “Judgment Strikes!”

The girl sharply sucked in her breath, and ran, pulling out her axe from the ground. Kagami threw her weapon, the middle of the line of the chains being caught between the blade of the axe and the concrete floor. The sudden pull yanked both Kuroko and Imayoshi to the floor. Kagami then stood between the line of attack and her partner, throwing up her hands. “Shield!” She cringed when she felt the pressure of the attack hit her defensive spell.

Suddenly, the monster lost balance and fell between the Etoile pair, and the Wúqíng members. Kagami quickly turned around, and helped free Kuroko from the chains. “You okay?” She asked, as she scanned for any wounds on her friend.

“Yes.” The boy nodded, and took the offered hand to stand up. “Kagami, we need to end this, and get out of here...” Kuroko pressed his hand against his chest. “I do not like this at all...”

“I know.” The girl replied grimly. She offered out her hand in front of the boy again. Kuroko looked up, and narrowed his eyes in determination. At the joining of their hands, they were blaring in their black and white aura.

The other Etoile members paused, and recognized that feeling, seeing the intensity surrounding the pair. Mitobe, Furihata and Kawahara took defensive stances, ready to raise their barrier spells. Hyuuga raised his rifle. ' _Need to distract them._ ' He released a volley of shots. Izuki started to throw his restrictive spells after his clansman's attacks, and Koganei was throwing knives and needles.

“Shadow Flare!”

The room shook violently from the explosion, as their vision was obscured by the whipping shadows. Their bodies stung by the scorching heat. Smoke blanketed the whole area. The Etoile Clan were coughing through the dust, while looking around to see the aftermath of the attack. They felt several barriers rose around the whole Clan before the attack hit, helping in buffering from the powerful merged spell.

There was a chuckle, and the Wúqíng Clan became visible. They were all on the ground, and the monster was gone from sight. Imayoshi looked up, grinning. “My, that was a surprise.” Kagami and Kuroko took on defensive stances, ready to fight again.

Suddenly a strong wind came circling all around the whole chamber. Kagami slammed her axe down, embedding it into the hard floor. She held on to both her giant weapon and her partner. Kuroko ducked his head, looking through his squinting eyes. The strong winds seemed to have picked up all the members of Etoile, knocking them around against the ceiling and floor. When the winds suddenly stopped, all the members were dropped unceremoniously to the floor. They all groaned with pain, and some coughing for air. Kuroko raised his head, eyes widening with dread. He felt his heart nearly stop.

Kagami quickly raised her head when she heard footsteps echoing down the tunnel. There stood a very tall tanned male, with a bored expression, and pinky in his ear. He had short navy blue hair, and intense blue eyes. Slowly ruby eyes widened in recognition. The boy yawned loudly, and glanced around the chamber. Then his blue eyes locked on to the four Wúqíng members, slowly getting up from the ground. “Oi, what's taking so long? You said that you were fighting a weak Clan. It should be easy.” He spoke in a low drawled tone.

Wakamatsu grew angry, and glared at the tanned male. He threw his hand out, pointing at the boy. “Where the hell have you been, asshole!?” He shouted. Susa and Sakurai quickly restrained their teammate from trying to strangle the other boy.

Imayoshi was dusting his pants, and fixing his glasses. “Have you not had you're communications on?” He questioned lightly.

The boy sighed, scowling in irritation. “Didn't want to keep hearing Satsuki's annoying voice in my head.” He complained. The other four seemed to wince at the same time to something unheard in the chamber.

The captain of the Wúqíng team raised his hands casually, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, as you can see, we just ran into a minor set back.” Then his eyes trained on the only girl, with the short light blue haired boy. “It's all for gathering data.”

The tanned boy snorted. “We don't need it.” Then sharp blue eyes trained on to the red head, his bored expression still apparent. Then he snorted again, and looked at his team. “I can't believe you're having a hard time because of some chick.” Veins were nearly popping on the wheat blond. Susa and Sakurai quickly tightened their hold on Wakamatsu, who was thrashing around angrily.

Kuroko bowed his head, his lips pressed thinly. “That is Aomine Daiki... he is another former member of the Kiseki Clan... a Miraculous General.” He murmured to the red head beside him. Most of the Etoile members stiffened upon hearing the name.

Kagami was slightly pouting, glaring at the darker blue haired boy. ' _He's the asshole at the outside basketball court from the other day on Earth. There is no mistaking his arrogant face._ ' Her mind yelled.

“Oh, Tetsu.” Aomine saw the light blue haired boy, and casually went up to the boy, disregarding the tension in the chamber.

“Aomine-kun.” Kuroko greeted calmly. He bowed his head when the other boy reached over and ruffled his head.

“It's been awhile.” The taller boy said.

The shorter boy lightly pushed Aomine's hand off his head, and looked up. “Yes. It has been.”

Aomine glanced over at the group that were gathered together at one side. “I can't believe you would join such a tiny lowly Clan, Tetsu.” He said in his bored tone.

Ruby eyes glared. “Etoile is not a lowly Clan, you bastard.” Kagami growled.

The tanned male looked up at the girl, his eyes seemingly locked at a certain area of the girl. Then Kuroko's face intercepted his view. “Is this you new 'Light', Tetsu?” His tone becoming flat.

“Yes.” The shorter boy was feeling tense around his former clansman, wanting to protect girl from the attention of the other boy.

Getting annoyed, and losing patience, the girl placed a hand on Kuroko's shoulder, and pulled him back. She glared at the taller male. “Look here, bastard, but we're in the middle of a battle between Clans.” She growled. “You can have your reunion talk later.”

Aomine yawned. “This fight isn't even worth it.”

Kagami felt something within her snap, and she was gritting her teeth. Kuroko quickly raised out his arm between the two, looking up at the tanned male. “We would like to be on our way then.”

“Ah, sorry.” Imayoshi spoke out. “Then we'll be taking our Artifact.”

Hyuuga glared. “We came here first, so we're entitled to that Artifact first!” He argued. The others gathered around, preparing for another round of fighting that was hanging in the air.

Aomine clicked his tongue. “We've been in this stupid Dungeon for too long. It's such a waste of time.” He seemed to whine, scratching the back of his head. “I want to go back.”

“If you want to go back so badly, then win that Artifact from the stupid lowly clan, you bastard!” Wakamatsu shouted, still ticked off at his teammate. The comment stirred up the Etoile members, sending glares his way.

Aomine dully looked over at Imayoshi. The bespectacled male just smiled, and raised a hand, as if offering to let the boy do as he pleased. Without a word, strong winds suddenly swept up all the members of the Etoile Clan, except for Kuroko and Kagami. They were all gathered together, surrounded by a sphere of quickly spinning winds. It was seen through it that Izuki was glowing, trying to manipulate it, but there was no change.

Ruby eyes shrank, and rage filled up the red head. The girl grabbed her axe, and swung down at where the tall male was. “Let them go!” She shouted.

“Kagami-kun!” Kuroko gasped at the quick sudden movement of his partner. But his warning was ignored.

Aomine took a step back, and the axe crushed down with force, destroying the flat surface of the concrete floor. Kagami slightly raised her head, ruby eyes locking with electrifying blue eyes. Then she picked up her axe, and slashed it across. But the boy seemingly disappeared.

Eyes glinted with amusement. Imayoshi was grinning as he watched the battle carefully. ' _She's very strong. But not as strong as our Ace fighter._ ' He thought with excitement.

Kagami was suddenly thrown across the room, slamming into the stone wall, and creating a deep hole. Kuroko clenched his jaw, and turned to see Aomine standing calmly with his hands in his pockets. A bored expression still on his face. The boy glanced over to the rest of his clansmen, and saw that the others were struggling, holding their hands around their throats or over their mouth and nose. ' _The wind sphere shows no mercy, slowly sucking out the air from their lungs..._ '

Kuroko took in a steady breath, and then dashed away from his spot. With daggers in his hands, he started to attack the taller male. Aomine raised a brow, easily dodging the shorter boy's attacks, with hands still in his pockets. He smirked. “Heh, seems you've grown a little, Tetsu.” He ducked, and swept his legs under the boy. The boy's legs got caught, but he did a flip to get his balance back, then dashed forwards again, aiming to strike the vital areas of the taller male. “But I know all of your moves already.”

He stepped back, avoiding the shadow spell from the shorter boy. Then he moved aside, dodging the set of knives thrown at him. “But without a strong light,” Aomine slightly turned his body to the side, missing being stabbed by the dagger of the Assassin. “You're weak, Tetsu.”

Out of no where, a giant battle axe came down between the two, smashing into the ground. Aomine pulled out his hand from his pocket, and grabbed the girl's wrist. Kagami looked up in surprise, and was easily tossed to the side, breaking through the stone wall.

Kuroko gritted his teeth, and summoned his shadow spell. “Void!” Aomine became encased in a black dome. The boy didn't look back, rushing towards his partner. He knelt down beside the deep crater on the wall. “Kagami-kun.” He was panting hoarsely.

The red head was struggling to sit up, with rubble and rocks rolling off her. She quickly turned to the side, coughing up blood. She gritted her teeth with frustration, her body trembling with rage. “Kagami-kun, please calm down.” Kuroko urged her.

“I can't.” She hissed. “Not when our Clan, our friends, are in danger.” Her voice slightly trembled.

“I know how you feel, Kagami-kun. I am frustrated too.” The boy replied, his expression grim. “But we need to think things through to get them out before their lungs collapse because of that wind attack.”

Kagami glanced up at the black dome. “What's that?” She questioned.

“It is almost like the one that Aomine-kun cast, holding our friends.” He replied. “It lacks oxygen, making the victim inside slowly lose air.” He bowed his head. “I just hope it would hold him long enough to break his concentration on the current spell.”

The red head began to get up, Kuroko watching her curiously. Kagami narrowed her eyes at the dome. “I think I remember from somewhere that fire burns oxygen.” She grumbled, then raised a hand. A flame appeared in her hand, as her whole body became surrounded by the bright red aura.

“Oh, but you didn't forget about us, did you?” A coy voice called out.

Kagami turned her head, and quickly raised her barrier, protecting from the multiple shots of arrows. She caught sight of Susa and Wakamatsu rushing towards her. She clicked her tongue. “Stay here Kuroko, and concentrate on keeping that spell of yours up.” The boy silently nodded, watching as she ran towards the two older fighters, giant axe in hand.

The girl seemed to have gotten faster, and more in control with her attacks, from what Imayoshi observed. She was able to parry the sword attacks from Susa, and dodge the hits and kicks from Wakamatsu. She spun around with her battle axe, hitting the two with the sharp blade. The two boys jumped back, holding on to their bleeding sides, glaring at the girl. Then Kagami slammed her axe down, and a blast of red energy started to head towards the group, with the floor crumbling at its trail. They were all slammed against the wall.

Kagami then turned around, and threw out her hand towards the black dome. She blared with her red aura, and a high wall of flames surrounded the dome. She kept up her fire, while Kuroko struggled to hold up his spell, feeling the intense heat of the fire from where he knelt. He glanced over, and panicked, seeing three of their members become motionless in the wind sphere. ' _No..._ ' He stood up and ran towards the girl. “Kagami-kun!”

The wind sphere dispersed, dropping all the members of Etoile to the floor, desperately gasping for air. The red head turned her head, seeing Kuroko reaching out towards her. She quickly took his hand, and they were blaring in their white and black auras. A wide magic circle appeared, spreading out. ' _I'm sorry, but this is the only way. Even if it means to... kill him..._ ' Light blue eyes glistened with hidden sorrow.

“Shadow Flare!”

The shadow dome exploded, with harsh winds blowing out. Aomine suddenly appeared in front of his clansmen, with a giant heavy sword in hand. The black fires slammed against the sword, used as a shield. Then he cut through the spell, dispersing the attack. Behind him, the four members of the Wúqíng Clan stared up at him with shock. The dark blue haired boy snorted. “I didn't stop that attack to protect any of you.” He grumbled, then glanced up at the pair. Kuroko and Kagami were panting hoarsely. The boy was bent low, hands on his knees, while the girl was using her battle axe as a crutch. “I was proving to the both of them that they were weak, even if they work together.”

Then sharp blue eyes turned back at the four Wúqíng members, glaring coldly. “And you're in the way. I don't need any of you to take care of them.” He hissed.

Imayoshi threw his arm out in front of Wakamatsu. “Leave him. He's the strongest, after all.” He spoke calmly.

A shot was fired, and Aomine easily blocked it with his sword. He lowered his sword, looking a bit annoyed. All the members of Etoile were still standing, looking determined to continue fighting. They were slightly exhausted, but there was a fire in their eyes. “Kuroko and Kagami are not the only ones that are part of Etoile Clan.” Hyuuga shouted, glaring at the tanned male.

Aomine snorted, then moved around swiftly when the members of Etoile went for the attack. Spells and bullets were being thrown, and blades trying to take a hit at the boy. But everyone was being easily tossed around, not able to touch the agile boy. Aomine was too fast for them, and they would easily get thrown against the walls of the chamber, or slammed hard into the ground. Kawahara was working over time, casting healing spells, while trying to hold up barriers to lessen the blows. The boy widened his eyes when Aomine suddenly appeared in front of him, and hit him with the giant blade.

Kuroko quickly turned to the girl next to him, holding on to her upper arm. “Kagami-kun, quick. Let's cast another merge spell!” His eyes wide with desperation.

The red head stared hesitantly at her partner, seeing the exhaustion racking through him. She took the boy's hand from her arm, and they were glowing again in white and black. They slowly went into position, standing in front of one another, glaring eyes set on the dark blue haired boy, who seemed to just stand there, after all the other members of Etoile were down. The magic circle spread out. “Shadow Fl-”

A dark hand gripped hard on the forearm of the red head, and both Kagami and Kuroko looked at the dark blue haired boy standing next to the girl. Piercing cold eyes looked directly into wide ruby eyes. “You're light is dim.” Then the hand squeezed hard.

There was a loud audible crack that seemed to reverberate in the chamber, followed by a loud cry of agony. The magic circle shattered underneath them. Reacting to the cry, Kuroko's eyes widened, and blared in a raging black aura. “Shadow Chaos!”

Deadly shadows rushed towards Aomine, separating him from the red head. He jumped back, dodging the spell. He swung his sword, cutting the shadows from trying to reach him. Then from the side, Kuroko appeared with his daggers, lunging at the taller male. Aomine fluidly dodged the strike, and blocked the thrown knives with his sword. Then wind and shadow spells clashed violently, with forces pushing many back against the walls.

A hand shot out, and grabbed the neck of the light blue haired boy. Kuroko was thrashing about, struggling free. “Honestly Tetsu, I'm a little disappointed.” Aomine looked up at the boy, raising him up, feet no longer touching the ground. “Especially because of your new Light.” The shorter boy was trying to claw his way out from the grip. “I wonder.” Then pupils shrank, and a dark smirk formed on Aomine's lips. “Do you remember back in the good old days, when we were part of Kiseki Clan? What happens to the losers of the battle?” He taunted.

Kuroko's eyes widened with cold dread. A thick coat of darkness surrounded the taller boy, and his eyes changed from blue to black. There was an icy laugh, before Aomine tossed the boy straight up into the air.

Everything felt like it was in slow motion, as Kuroko slowly turned his head, as he was midair. Aomine was moving around swiftly, giant sword in hand. The first target was Kawahara, the Etoile Clan's Cleric. With just one powerful swing of the big sword, the boy was easily cut down to half, and then phased into static, before vanishing from sight. Soon after, Fukuda and Furihata followed after a loud cry, then static to nothingness. There were looks of horror upon the elder clansmen, then anger clouded their eyes. They got up to fight back against the General.

Tears blurred Kuroko's sight, when one after the other, the Etoile Clan was being easily erased with one hit: Tsuchida, Mitobe, Koganei, Izuki. Hyuuga tried to react, raising his rifle, but it was slashed in half, along with his body. Then he was gone.

Kuroko hit the ground, the wind from his lungs knocked out. Aomine stood just inches away from the boy, a cold gleam in his black eyes. He looked over his shoulder, and his sight saw the red haired girl, clutching on to her broken arm, and with tears streaming down her face. When Kagami saw the eyes locked on to her, she raised her chin, and glared furiously at the boy, with defiance.

“That's a nice look you have in your eyes.” Aomine commented. “But it's not enough.” He raised his sword, changing the grip of his sword, and going into a stance. The dark aura around him was radiating, and started to swirl around him and his sword. “It's too bad I have to 'kill' a girl that's my type.” The harsh winds surrounded the sword, and he lunged towards the girl. The red head picked up her giant axe with one hand, and flung it at the incoming boy. Aomine easily cut it down, breaking it cleanly in half.

Kagami felt her heart stop, as her eyes widened with pure horror and anguish. In front of her, she watched as Kuroko used himself once again as a shield, allowing the giant sword to impale him. The blade stuck out from his chest, and blood splattered out on the girl. Her throat constricted, making it hard for her to breath. The boy weakly raised his head, eyes looking directly at the girl. She saw his lips move, before throwing a tiny round gem at her.

Then she felt as if her whole body was being pulled to the inside. She had a hard time moving, fighting the pull to reach her friend. Kagami watched as the dark winds surrounded the boy, shredding through his flesh, adding cut upon cut all over his body. Slowly, Kuroko started to phase into static, with baby blue eyes kept staring into the horrified ruby eyes.

“KUROKO!”

In an instant, everything became black and silent.

 

* * *

 

Jerking his head up to the sky, Midorima stopped in his tracks, as a small wind blew past him. ' _What...?_ ' His hand rose, and pressed his trembling bandaged fingers against his chest.

“Hey! Shin-chan!” A voice called out.

The green head looked down, and saw his teammate ahead of him. His captain was holding the glittering Artifact that they just attained. Takao was waving at him. The bespectacled male raised his glasses, and continued to follow after his clansmen.

 

* * *

 

With a gasp, and golden eyes widened, Kise quickly turned around, seeing nothing but the wide open grassy field. He could hear his racing heart between his ears, and his body beginning to tremble. ' _What...? Why...?_ ' He reached his hand over his chest, feeling this deep ache.

“Kise!”

The blond quickly turned around, blinking his eyes, seeing his current teammates of Wahr Clan. They all watched him questioningly. Kasamatsu furrowed his brows, watching his Kohai. “What's the matter? We still have a Dungeon to search for.” He questioned.

The blond shook his head. “It's nothing, Sempai.” He smiled, and run up to his teammates. ' _I hope._ '

 

* * *

 

Falling to her knees, Aida was sobbing hard, having witnessed the horrendous scene: her whole Clan getting wiped out by a single blow. Through it all, she was trying to reach them, shouting her lungs out to them through their connection, but no one heard her. She was desperately slamming buttons on the console, to transport them back, but nothing worked. Her heart shattered to pieces as one by one her clansmen vanished from sight, out of OW.

There was a flash of light, and the girl looked up in front of her. There lying on the ground, gravely injured, was the sole survivor of the whole massacre. “K-Kagami-kun...” Aida quickly crawled up to the unconscious red head, raising her shaky hands, and using her healing spells. Her sobs hasn't died down, and she was having a hard time concentrating and breathing correctly. She flicked her wrist, and a small holographic screen appear. “P-please! I n-need the medic in here, now!” She cried out desperately.

Phasma burst into the command room, with a stretcher. They quickly moved the girl, and ran out, with Aida running closely beside the red head, holding on to her hand. When they came to the infirmary, a Phasma held the Leader of Etoile back, and Aida watched as Kagami disappeared behind the double doors of the healing bay. The girl felt her knees grow weak, and she fell to the floor, wailing loudly, as her cries echoed through the halls of the base from the terrible loss.

' _Everyone... I'm sorry... please... please let Kagami-kun recover... especially emotionally and mentally..._ '

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: AHHHHHHH!!!!! I FINISHED IT!!! AND IT ALL CAME OUT AS PLANNED!!!! CURSE YOU AHOMINE!!!!
> 
> So this is a long chapter. I was debating of separating it, but thought against it and gave it out as one whole chapter, because we were all waiting for Aomine to finally show up officially. Even though he kinda did already last chapter... I really really wanted to add the interaction between the three Generals, plus Kagami and Takao. It was important to me, especially before the encounter with Aomine. And as I have been hinting before, and through this whole chapter, the horrible came! It just had to be like this, because then the rest of my plan will be put into action! HUHUHUHUHU!!!!
> 
> Ahem... Sorry for all the cursing here and there. With Aomine around, there's bound to be a lot of cursing, towards him and from his mouth. Imayoshi is a hard character to write. He makes me mad when I was typing him out. I'll just make the excuse that the darkness has been influencing him? Heh heh heh. I also had a hard time with what elements the Generals would have, and tried to base it by the colors of their heads. At first I thought of Aomine being electricity, and then maybe water. You know, opposite of Kagami being fire. After rotating the elements around all of the Generals, I kept with wind for Aomine. It kinda suits him...
> 
> Enough of that rant. We'll just have to wait on what will happen next.
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
>  **Wúqíng ( _“Woo-ching” CHI. Ruthless_ ) Clan**  
> Base of Operations: State of Tǒngyī ( _“Tong-yee” CHI. Unify_ )  
> Leader: Unnamed  
> Number of currently active members: 150+  
> Predominant Classes: Warriors  
> Clan Rank: V  
>  **Squad Zeta, Team 1**  
>  Squad Leader: N/A  
> Team Captain: Imayoshi Shoichi  
> Number of active members: 6  
> Predominant Classes: Mixed  
> Team Rank: IV
> 
>  **Class Types:**  
>  **Tamer** = They mostly rely on the monsters they are able to allure or successfully tame from any field/Dungeon to their side. They can control a monster, and take advantage or make use of the monster's abilities/powers. They are able to magically summon the tamed monsters into battle from anywhere. Most Tamers use various whips, or staffs.  
>  ** _Imayoshi Shoichi_**  
>  Class: Tamer  
> Abilities: Summon and control Ranked IV monsters, hypnosis, chain whip  
>  ** _Fukuda Hiroshi_**  
>  Class: Tamer  
> Abilities: Summon and control Ranked II monsters, chain whip  
> Costume Ref: (http://40.media.tumblr.com/2e384697bff7ea009b0172235beb222e/tumblr_mhi13b0dHC1qj06a9o3_1280.jpg)
> 
>  ** _Aomine Daiki_**  
>  Class: Warrior  
> Abilities: N/A  
> Costume Ref: (http://news.softpedia.com/images/extra/GAMES/large/ff13art_002-large.jpg)
> 
>  ** _Momoi Satsuki_**  
>  Class: Guide  
> Abilities: N/A  
> Costume Ref: (http://images.vg247.com/current//2013/06/FF14-costume.jpg (Without the ears and tail))
> 
>  
> 
>   
>  **_Wakamatsu Kousuke_**  
>  Class: Brawler  
> Abilities: high agility, strength and defense, various martial arts
> 
>  
> 
>   
>  **_Sakurai Ryou_**  
>  Class: Hunter  
> Abilities: high accuracy and agility, crossbow
> 
>  
> 
>   
>  **_Susa Yoshinori_**  
>  Class: Freelancer  
> Abilities: High strength and defense, weapon master


	11. The Unyielding Resolve

With a gasp, Kagami shot up, heart pounding between the ears. Perspiration trailed down the temple, with more clinging nearly all over the body. Long red hair stuck on to the forehead, the sides of the face, the neck and at the upper back, curling at the ends. There was a shiver coursing down, when the cold hit against the slightly wet body.

Curling forward, Kagami pressed a hand against her temple and clutched tightly on to the thin gown in front of her chest. Images began to bombard her mind, and noises blended and mixed, indistinguishable, except the screaming of her heart and all the red and static. Her body began to tremble, and she shakily tried to breath evenly, to calming her erratic beating heart. ' _It's not a dream... it's all real... everyone... why...?_ '

Time was lost to her, as she stayed in the same position, even after she was able to breath rhythmically even, and her heart stopped slamming against her chest. The beats nearly synchronized with the faint beeping that barely registered in her mind, that was somewhere in the background of the room she was in. Her heated skin cooled off, and her hair fell in clumps of loose curls around her head. The images and sounds melted away from her mind, until all she saw were electrifying blue eyes slowly turn into cold soulless black.

Kagami sat up straight, her ruby eyes glaring ahead at the imaginary figure. She clenched her teeth, and clutched tightly on to the blankets pooled over her lap. There was a fierce look upon her expression, with her eyes nearly glowing with the fire of emotions, building up and burning within her. She hissed, then ripped the blanket off of her.

 

* * *

 

The brightness of the white void dimmed down, returning back her senses. With a few blinks from her wide brown eyes, Aida found her self surrounded by familiar faces, gathered all in one small room. She saw the dispirited atmosphere thickly hanging in the room. Everyone was down, and there was also no mistake in the anger they had, mostly at their selves.

“Welcome back, Riko.” Hyuuga greeted flatly, from his spot on a chair against the wall.

“Everyone...” The girl took a step forward, before her face scrunched up with grief. The tears started to fall, and everyone began to panic at the sight of the girl crying. They started to surround her, fussing over her. “I'm so sorry, everyone.” She bowed at her waist. “I know there are no words to say that could help alleviate the pain I know you all have at... dying... at the other side... it's just that...”

“Hey, it's not your fault, Riko.” Tsuchida reassured.

“No one would have predicted that we would run into such powerful fighters, especially with a Miraculous General in it.” Izuki added.

“It was more of an overestimation on our part.” Hyuuga spoke. “It will never be easy to win a fight against a Miraculous General, and the Wúqíng Clan are already strong as is. They saw through us, and struck us hard at our weak points, before we even knew it. So don't beat yourself up over it, Riko.” He reached his hand, and ruffled the girl's head. “We just... shouldn't have relied so heavily on Kuroko and Kagami to always fight our battles...”

“How is, Kagami-kun?” Kuroko questioned. Most of the members jumped suddenly, nearly forgetting of the boy with his low presence.

The brunette wiped her eyes, and looked at the light blue haired boy. “The last I checked, she is still recovering at the infirmary. She received several broken bones, and a lot of internal bleeding.” Many cringed at the news, getting worried. “But she's in a stable condition, having not woken up yet after two days, back in OW time.” Then she looked around at all their faces. “And what are you guys still doing here? It's midnight.” She glanced over outside the windows, seeing the darkness of the night.

“We didn't feel like going home.” Said Fukuda.

“Especially when we were easily 'killed'...” Murmured Kawahara. Mitobe reached over, and patted the boy's head in consolation.

“Riko, how was it that only Kagami was spared? I could have sworn that he would have ended up like us. That Aomine Daiki being merciless.” Izuki questioned.

The brunette glanced over at the light blue haired boy. “Kuroko-kun didn't tell you? He was the last one, you know.”

Koganei scratched the back of his head. “I guess we didn't really notice when he got spat out from OW, because... we were all still kinda down about our defeat.”

Kuroko shook his head. “No, I understand. And I did not feel like talking either...”

“It was requested awhile ago by Kuroko-kun, to buy an escape gem. We all know how very expensive and rare those are, but I gave it to him, because I trusted in his judgment on using it.” Aida explained, tearing his eyes away from the light blue head, and looked at the other boys around her. “It was supposed to be a back up plan, in case we would ever run into trouble. But I believed we would have never had to use it...” Then her gaze returned back to the light blue head. “And you made the smart move to have used it on Kagami-kun, Kuroko-kun.”

Mitobe nodded. “You're right Mitobe! Because Kagami is still a Rookie, so saving him will allow him to continue training and lead the name of Etoile at our stead.” Koganei said, agreeing with the silent boy.

Fukuda sighed. “Yeah, but we have to wait longer before we could return and train to be able to probably get our revenge.” He said glumly. “It's all just... frustrating, you know?”

“I'm more worried of Kagami being on his own to carry out missions and all the responsibilities left for our clan.” Said Furihata. It seemed to have dawned on the others what they left behind on the shoulders of one of their sole members left in OW.

“Sempai.” Kuroko spoke up again. All attention turned to the light blue haired boy. “I have a requests to make.”

 

* * *

 

Walking into the base, Aida was attacked by ghosts of happy memories that had occurred in the usually lively building. Now the silence sent a shiver down her spine, and already missing all her clansmen and friends. She took in a deep breath, then walked in further, making a beeline towards the infirmary.

Upon coming into the healing ward, she saw a few of the medics moving around in a frenzy. They froze in place, seeing the leader of Etoile enter the ward. Aida raised a brow, suspiciously watching the shadow like people with no faces. She frowned, and made her way to the window, leading to a single room in the infirmary. A tick formed on the brunette's temple, seeing the empty bed in front of her. She gritted her teeth. “That Ba-Kagami...” She growled.

 

* * *

 

With a loud battle cry, three of the lurking monsters were easily destroyed into dust by a single stroke of the shiny giant sword. When no other monster appeared, Kagami stood up erect, and wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. She grinned with satisfaction, surveying the area that was around the boarders of Espoir.

“BA. KA. GA. MIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!”

The red head turned around too late to see a small brunette running angrily towards her. She was kicked down to the ground, then bent and twisted around, with the brunette pulling on her limbs in a strange hold. “Se-Semapi!”

“You idiot!” the brunette shouted, tightening her hold, and causing the girl to cry for mercy.

“What did I do!?” The red head was tapping on the arm around her neck.

“I come back, only to find you missing from the infirmary! You left the medics panicking because there was no word. You were just in a critical condition. You should be resting, idiot!” Aida hissed.

“But I left a note!” The red head protested. Then she was suddenly released, and Kagami flopped flat to the ground, internally sighing with relief. After a few moments of stillness, and silence, the red head became a bit worried, and looked over her shoulder. Aida was sitting with her legs folded under her, and her head was bowed. The red head sighed, and sat up, facing the smaller girl. “I just... couldn't lie around doing nothing... I was restless... especially when I'm the only one left here of Etoile Clan. So, I did my duties as a member, and secured the boarders.”

Aida slowly raised her head. Kagami rolled her shoulders. “They're not so hard around here, compared to the ones in Dungeons.” Then she grinned widely. “And it gives me time to train.” She threw her hand out to the side, and a shiny upgraded version of a giant sword appeared in her hand. “It was delivered this morning, finished and ready for use!”

The brunette sighed, her shoulder relaxing, and a small smile forming on her lips. “I worried over nothing then. You'll always be a Ba-Kagami.”

“Hah!?” The red head huffed, crossing her arms. Aida giggled to herself. The red head shifted in her position, leaning her weight on her hands, arms holding her up behind her. She looked up into the sky. “I'm not stupid enough to go alone to get revenge.” She grumbled. “So, for the mean time, while I wait for everyone to come back to OW, I'll just keep on training, so I could get better.” The brunette watched the younger girl, a serene air hanging around the red head. “When they do come back, I'll be able to protect all my friends better, and be prepared for tight situations like with what happened.”

Kagami looked back down, her eyes narrowed with determination. “Plus, we were defeated as a Clan together, and together we should get our revenge.” She raised a hand, tightening it into a fist as emphasis to her proclamation.

Aida giggled, and rubbed her eyes. She looked back up at the red head, her eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall. “Come here, Kagami-kun.” She beckoned. The red head raised a brow, and sat up straight. “Closer!” When the younger girl leaned in, Aida reached her hands out, and pinched her cheeks. “Don't ever change your adorably stupid self, Ba-Kagami.” She sniffed.

“Shempahi...” The red head was trying to get free, her cheeks starting to ache.

Then the brunette released the girl. “You won't be working here alone.” Kagami looked up at her leader, still rubbing her cheek. Aida looked sternly at the younger girl. “I've talked about it with the others, and we decided on hiring some extra help from other willing Clans.”

“Huh!?” She frowned. “We don't need to. I can do everything!” She protested. Then the red got slapped at the the back of her head.

“Idiot!” The brunette placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at the red head. “We're all worried about you, Kagami-kun! I even skipped school to come here to OW. It's a good thing it's a Friday back on Earth. That means we have about three weeks here in OW.” She raised her wrist, and looked at her fancy and high-tech watch. “I can't allow you to do everything on your own. So, I'm leaving it to the boys back on Earth to talk to whoever it was they know there to help us in OW as hired help.” She glanced back up at the girl. “I'll be sending a message soon to the Clans for a deal. Hopefully the hired help business will be settled, and everything all accepting. And based on school hours and when the gates would open, they might come here in less than ten days.”

Aida then dropped a hand on the taller girl's shoulder, grinning widely. “So, in these days before they get here, we'll be spending some quality time together, where you'll be studying for both school and of the OW.” The red head paled. “Then I'll be giving you a training menu to better improve more of your defense, speed and strength, and to bring out more of your abilities.” Kagami squirmed, with dread creeping behind her as she watched the brunette's smiling face.

 

* * *

 

Multiple video clips were playing from various angles, in the big main glass monitor. Aida sat in her big chair, watching the screen ahead, with her lips pressed on her folded hands, elbows on the dash of the computer system. Her narrowed cinnamon eyes darted from one video window, to another, with a serious concentration on her expression.

' _Definitely another Guide... who could be just as good as I am._ ' She frowned deeply at the thought. ' _And I don't know if it was the other Guide, or that darkness... that blocked me out from reaching my Clan..._ ' She watched the fight between the Etoile and Wuqing Clans. Then a certain dark male from the former Kiseki appeared, and the videos started to blur with light static. ' _And that dark aura, it's the same as with Kise Ryouta and Midorima Shintarou... it can't all be a coincidence, seeing as they all came from the same squad in the same Clan... but why do they have it in the first place?_ '

She groaned, and pushed a few buttons, turning off all the static videos in front of her. Aida leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes. ' _And I can't even closely study Kagami-kun when her persona changes and those wings appear..._ ' She slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at the metallic ceiling. ' _I know that Kagami-kun is a big mystery, but it bothers me that I'm no where close to unraveling all that there is about the innocently idiotic Kagami._ '

Aida sighed, and reached over to press a few other buttons. Then a window popped up, with the view of Kagami in the training room, casting fire spells at a holographic opponent. ' _There is a possibility that Kagami is a certain Class, with all that has been observed of her... but declaring it publicly will be bad, and could possibly place her in danger._ ' She frowned. ' _Keeping it to myself will be safer, and I don't know what will happen if the Elder Clan discovered it... since such Class is not supposed to exist..._ ' She then recalled someone telling her something one time. '” _Human beings get rid of things that they do not understand, or could be a threat”..._ '

To the side, in a smaller glass monitor, an icon appeared, and it was blinking for attention. The brunette looked over, and raised a brow. She gave a light tap on the side touch pad, and a window popped up, with words written on it. Her cinnamon eyes skimmed through it quickly, and her face slowly lightened up with excitement, as she was grinning widely. “Thanks, Kuroko-kun.” She whispered.

 

* * *

 

After showering, and dressed up without her armor, the red head was suddenly attacked by her senior classmate. Aida threw her hands around the girl, laughing. “It was approved, and they're here!” She exclaimed joyfully.

Kagami was trying to keep her balance. “They?”

“The hired help, dummy, remember?” The brunette pulled away, seeing the scowl of the red head. Aida pointed at the girl. “Now go get them at the town entrance.” She order.

“Hah!? Why?” The taller girl nearly whined.

Aida frowned, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl. “Because, Phasma are always weary of guests that come into the town. So to not feel threatened, you have to go get them, especially since they'll be around here for awhile.” She explained. “It's like it is programmed in the Phasma of the town to feel threatened of outsiders that are not registered to our town. So with someone of our Clan there, they'll be more at ease and welcoming.”

Then the brunette poked the taller girl's shoulder. “And I still need to make some preparations around here for our guests. Bring them to the meeting room when you get back here, okay?”

The red head walked through town on orders of her leader. She was walking a bit slowly, hopefully to delay meeting these hired help. Kagami really didn't feel comfortable meeting new people, especially when they were not part of her Clan, and would be staying in her town that her Clan resided in. When she reached the gates, she could see at a distance four figures heading her way, coming from two different paths. As they got closer, Kagami froze in place, shocked to see the recognizable faces. ' _No way..._ '

“Kagami-cchi!” One particular person shouted, while enthusiastically waving. Kagami felt her eye twitch. The blond rushed forward, leaving his partner, and throwing his arms out wide. “Kagami-cchi!”

The girl braced herself, and was attacked by the blond male. “Gah! Kise!”

The boy tightly hugged her, almost lifting her off the ground. “I'm so excited to work with Kagami-cchi! We're going to have so much fun!” The red head was patting his back, awkwardly, knowing that it was no use to break free.

Then a hand grabbed the boy's collar, and pulled Kise away from the girl. Kagami blinked and saw the fellow member of Wahr, Kise's sempai. “Idiot, stop trying to make a fool of yourself! And don't harass her! You're giving a bad impression of our Clan!” Kasamatsu scolded.

Kagami stood up straight when the older male's bright blue eyes looked at her. She bowed a bit awkwardly from her waist. “Ah... hello... and welcome?”

“Yo!” The red head turned and saw another pair of familiar faces. She stiffened in place, especially seeing the tall glasses-wearing green head. Takao saluted. “Please take care of us, from now on, Kagami-chan!” He chirped with a big grin. “This is going to be very amusing while working together!” He chuckled.

“Ah, I see, Kuroko-cchi got to you too, Midorima-cchi?” Kise commented, looking at his former clansman.

The green head frowned, adjusting his glasses. “I didn't come here because of Kuroko's request. We are on orders by our Squad leader to help out Etoile Clan.”

Takao laughed. “Oh come on! Why can't you just admit that you happily accepted Kuroko's request and offer to help out Kagami-chan?” He nudged the boy with his elbow.

There was a small blush on the tall male, and he hid it with a glare towards his partner. “That's not what happened, you fool.” He hissed.

“Such a tsundere.” The smaller brunet chuckled, patting the taller male's shoulder.

Kagami pouted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Can't believe I'm going to be working with not only one Miraculous General, but two...” She mostly muttered to herself, watching the interactions between the two clans. “But it can't be helped, I guess, if I want to do missions in Dungeons for the Clan. The monsters here are getting boring to fight.”

Green eyes locked on to the girl's. She slightly squirmed under the intense gaze, and she narrowed her eyes out of irritation and defiance, having a nagging feeling that she knew what the boy would say, when she saw his lips slightly parted. “The Etoile Clan is the biggest fools for even trying to fight against Aomine, and a Clan like Wuqing.” Midorima stated flatly.

“M-Midorima-cchi!” Kise moved to go between the two.

The red head glared at the tallest male, pushing aside the blond, and moving forward to invade the bespectacled male's personal bubble. She craned her neck up, anger evident in her glistening eyes. “Listen here, you bastard!” She shouted, and grabbed the taller male's shirt, tugging him down to meet her eyes. They were only a few inches apart from making any contact. “We didn't go out there seeking that asshole! He came at us! He was the one that started the fight! Him and his damn Clan! So don't you go and point fingers at us! He... he...”

Kise pulled the girl back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, from behind. The girl's back bumped into the chest of the tall blond. The tension between the red head and green head broke away. “Kagami-cchi...” His voice seemed to have eased the girl's wildly racing heart. Kagami shakily reached her hands, and clutched tightly on to the arm, trying to dispel the tension in her whole being.

Kasamatsu, having stayed silent, looked around and saw Phasma stopped in place, turning their heads towards their direction. He sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it would be better if we moved this conversation to somewhere else more comfortable, other than out here?” He suggested.

Kagami moved the arm from around her, and looked over her shoulder at the four visitors. “Come on.” She grumbled, then walked into the town. The others closely followed.

“Geez, Shin-chan. Why did you have to go and say that?” Takao whispered. The two were at the back of the group, looking around the quiet town that was definitely smaller than the city their Clan was stationed in. “How else are you going to be in the good graces of Kagami-chan? I think you're kinda losing the competition here.”

Green eyes glared a the shorter raven head. “Shut up, Takao.” He muttered lowly. “And there is no such competition you speak of, idiot.” He frowned, staring at the back of the head of the red haired girl. The brunet just smiled knowingly, shaking his head.

 

* * *

 

There was a big grin upon the leader of Etoile, with wide cinnamon brown eyes looking at the four hired help. “Welcome to Espoir! And, in case you have forgotten, I'm Aida Riko, the leader of the Etoile Clan.” She said proudly.

“Why them? Out of everyone to ask for help, it had to be them, the Generals...” The red head grumbled, pouting. She sat next to her leader, while the other four sat across them on the big round table.

“Kuroko-kun requested that they help us back on Earth.” Aida replied.

“He even came up to us personally.” Kasamatsu explained. “After getting permission from our squad leader, we headed here. And I don't mind the change of atmosphere while working with other Clans. Plus, someone has to watch him.” He indicated to the blond next to him, with his thumb.

The blond pouted at his upperclassman. Then turned to the two females. “Since it's from Kuroko-cchi, I'd accept any favor from him, especially if I get to help Kagami-cchi.” He beamed.

“The payment was appealing in accepting the mission of aiding Etoile Clan.” Midorima spoke, adjusting his glasses.

Takao snorted. “Please, you accepted because it was a request from a friend and old clansman.” He poked the green head on his shoulder. “And you wanted to help out Kagami-chan, as thanks for somehow fixing you.”

Ruby eyes blinked in slight confusion. “Huh, fix? What do you mean?” Kagami looked over at her leader. “And payment? What are you paying them with?”

The brunette waved a hand. “Don't worry about it, Kagami-kun.” The older girl turned to the red head, slamming a fist into her other hand. “Oh, that's right! You still have your rounds to do, Kagami-kun. It's still part of your training menu. When everything is settled, I'll be making a new schedule for you, including our hired help.” She waved her hand, gesturing the girl to leave. “Go on!”

There was a sluggish groan, as the red head stood up from her chair. “But it's no fun...” She grumbled mostly to her self. When she stood up straight, she glanced over at the four males across the table.

Aida slightly pushed the girl, to move. “I told you, there is nothing to worry about. We're just going to discuss some business that comes with hiring outsiders.” She told her. “It would be too boring for you, Kagami-kun, and might be a bit complicated to understand.”

Kagami crossed her arms, scowling. “I'm not stupid.” She grumbled, as she walked out of the meeting room. Kise and Takao were waving at her, before the metal doors automatically slid close.

All cheeriness instantly melted away, and the small brunette had a serious expression upon her face. She stood up, and looked at each male, with piercing eyes that seemed to see right through them. “Let's get down to business, shall we?” She pressed a few buttons on a touch pad on the table, then she straightened her back. There were two holographic windows that appeared. It automatically scrolled down slowly, and there were signatures at the button. “As per contract in regards to hiring outside help, never will Etoile Clan ask about any personal and classified information about your own Clans. Neither would you, as hired help, disclose anything you have learned here of the duration of your contracted stay here in Etoile, nor give away information to your leaders or higher ups in your own Clans.”

Kasamatsu shrugged. “It's a given, since it's the number one rule among contracts of hired help.” The other three younger boys nodded, already knowing about it.

Aida sighed softly. “Good.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “For more important matters.” She pressed a hand upon the table, and leaned most of her weight on her arm, while her other hand was on her hip. She stared deeply into each of the boys' eyes. “As a reassurance from earlier contracts, anything you have seen or remembered about your first encounter and fight with Kagami Taiga has to stay a secret, especially from her.” The four visiting Clan members suddenly got curious.

The brunette stood up straight, crossing her arms, and sighed. “It has been agreed upon our whole Clan, especially from the insistence of Kuroko-kun, to keep the abilities and capabilities of Kagami-kun a secret.” Aida replied. “She honestly has no recollection at all of what happened during that time, if you could recall or if you ever tried to playback those recorded footage of our battles when everything just turns to white and static. And from what I could remember, neither of you two have no recollection of that day either, when we first encountered each of you.” She pointed at Kise and Midorima. The four thought back, and seemed to understand what she was saying. “If she doesn't recall what happened, then she has no understanding at all of what she is capable of. As you should know, she is a Rookie, having only come to this world since the start of the school year. So she has no clue nor is she aware of her own powers. Our Clan also can not make out or understand anything that has occurred, when it pertains to her.”

Aida raked her fingers through her bangs, then leaned on to the back of one of the chairs, with her arm resting on the top. “I'm sure you all can understand that Kagami-kun has the capabilities to be like you Generals.” She looked at the blond and the green head. The two had a small reaction at the girl's thoughts. “But, from what we gathered, there is something more to her that all of us could not figure out yet. It's better if it was kept a secret within the Clan, and from Kagami-kun, to protect her... especially from the always watching eyes of the Elder Clan.”

Her piercing eyes bore onto Midorima and Kise's. “I'm sure you're both aware that the Elder Clan are keeping a very close watch on all you Generals, even after the Clan you came from was dismantled from OW.” They frowned, trying to guess what she was really getting at. Aida then raised her hand, to lean her cheek on her knuckles, still leaning her weight on the back of the chair. “It's a little theory of mine, though in no way am I trying to oppose them, the Elder Clan hates mysteries. They just couldn't figure out or understanding why the Miraculous Generals stood out more than all the other Chosen.” She pointed towards the two. “You all were reaching incredible levels in power in such a short amount of time, especially for all your ages, and the Elder Clan may have felt threatened, so they disbanded the Kiseki Clan. That's my theory on why such a great big Clan had to be dismantled.”

Kise's eyes widened, with his mouth slightly open. Midorima frowned, the emotions in his eyes hiding behind the glare of his glasses. “Because the Elder Clan reacts to something that is unknown, or powerful and a possible threat, they would get rid of them, or change and bend rules to suppress those mysteries, while keeping a very close eye on all those posing as a threat to them.”

“So, you all understand why it's important for us to keep all these secrets about Kagami-kun. We... really don't want the same thing to happen to her.” Aida breathed in deeply, and swept a few of her bangs from her eyes. “She's a Rookie after all, and she still has a lot of room to grow, which we are all allowing, and carefully watching over her.” Then she grinned widely. “Plus, she's the Etoile Clan's pride, our Ace Fighter, and we can't afford to lose such a rare person like her, who suddenly dropped into our laps.”

Kise narrowed his eyes, picturing the red haired girl. ' _There's no way that I'll allow... Kagami-cchi-_ '

' _Kagami... to be taken away... for what ever reason._ ' Midorima adjusted his glasses, silently declaring the same unspoken promise as his former clansman. They both slowly looked over at one another, before quickly turning back their attention to the young female leader of Etoile.

The brunette stood up straight, and clapped her hands, suddenly smiling quite cheerfully again. “All right, now that is over with. For your tasks here, boarder patrols are done in the morning.” She pressed a button, and then a holographic window opened, with a typed out schedule. “After patrols, you have free time. After lunch, I'll soon be sending you all out to do some Dungeon conquering. After that, it's free time again. That's what a typical day here in Etoile is like, though morning free time is usually for some training.” Aida nodded to herself, and the holographic windows disappeared from the center of the table. “As stated in our contract, you'll be here until all members of the Etoile Clan is able to return to OW. So, please do enjoy your stay!”

 

* * *

 

“Kagami-cchi~” Kise called out in a sing-song tone, scampering after the tall red head. He quickly hooked his arm with the girl's, and turned to the other three. “Kagami-cchi and I will pair up and take the south boarders!” He chirped.

' _Might as well let him have his way. I really don't want to have a headache so early in the morning from his insistent whining._ ' Kasamatsu sighed, and rubbed his temple. “Fine.” He grumbled, and looked at the other two younger Chosen from Animus. In the background, he ignored the excited cheers of the blond, and Kagami's grumbling and protesting. “Unless one of you wants to join them, I guess the rest of us will take the northern boarders to patrol.” He didn't notice the silent glaring match that the two tallest males seemed to have over their heads. Takao was snickering, having witness such subtle scene between the two former Kiseki members.

Midorima adjusted his glasses, then crossed his arms. “I'll go with them.” He gestured to the blond and red head with his gaze. “Someone has to watch out for any foolishness that would distract them from their tasks.” Golden eyes glared.

Kagami scowled. “Hey! I'm not going to mess up anything, and boarder patrols are easy!” She pointed at the green head accusingly.

Kise pouted, and tugged the red head back. “Yeah! We don't need you!” Green eyes narrowed.

Kasamatsu irritatingly sighed, glaring at the younger males. “Look, you can switch next time to be partners with Kagami, since you so insist in fighting over her.” He growled, pointing at the two tallest males, his captain persona emerging to the surface. “Now all of you stop acting like children, and let's get this task over with. We are on a schedule, and I _hate_ to miss any of it!” All four teens straightened their backs, and saluted at the strictness of the eldest male's tone. There were a pair of glittering eyes out of admiration from a certain red head and younger raven haired boy.

“Really, I don't understand at all what you guys are fighting about.” Kagami grumbled, as she headed to the gate, with Kise closely trailing behind, grinning widely. “We're all comrades, aren't we? Or, could it be it's because we're rivals too?” She huffed. “Either way, I'll be the one winning the fight.”

Takao laughed, and patted the girl's back. “Oh, Kagami-chan, you're so naive, it's really adorable.”

“Hah!?” The red head sharply turned her head, and narrowed her eyes at the brunet. “Don't call me adorable!”

Then they departed from the gate, going their separate ways, with a group of three and a pair heading the opposite direction. Takao was chuckling behind, thinking back at the amusing scene that occurred moments ago. He looked up at the green head, and grinned widely. “Seriously, Shin-chan. You always have to make things so hard on yourself. And it's obvious you're sulking.”

Midorima looked over his shoulder, glaring at the shorter raven head. “I'm not sulking.” He growled.

 

* * *

 

Two days passed in the Other World, where Aida thought to give some time for the hired help to adjust in Espoir, and getting into a comfortable routine. However, she held off on Dungeon excursions. During those two days had been a constant headache for Kasamatsu, and a form of entertainment for Takao. By experience, the third year already knew how much of a hassle handling one Miraculous General was, but with two eccentric ones together was enough to nearly place permanent frown lines on his young face. Plus, the subject that was stirring all the headaches was innocently oblivious that she was the center of it all.

So when the next morning came, Kasamatsu, having put aside his awkwardness around the opposite gender, quickly assigned Kagami to be with him, while Kise and Midorima were forced to partner up. Because Takao thought it was too funny to pass up, he went along with Kasamatsu and Kagami to their rounds of boarder patrol. And the leader of Etoile thought that it was good for Kagami to learn how to work with other people. It was then declared by the eldest Fighter that Kagami will never be alone with either of the Generals, whenever they were to do patrols, making her his partner for the whole duration of his stay in Etoile. Takao took note of the sulking and pouting expressions of the two tallest fighters.

Blue eyes looked up with amazement at the tall structure in front. “Seems your instincts are quiet keen, Kagami.” Kasamatsu remarked. “That must have been the quickest search for the Dungeon I've ever been through.”

The red head awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. “I guess...”

Takao bumped shoulders with the older male, smiling. “Yeah, well wait until we go inside!” He looked over at the tall green haired teen. “She's way better in navigating through the Dungeon than Shin-chan, and his chance of luck.”

Kise raised a brow, and looked from his former clansman, to the only girl. “Eh? Really?” He hummed with interest. “I can't wait to uncover all the secrets of Kagami-cchi~” He said coyly, giving a wink at the red head. Kagami flushed, and glared at the blond. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. At the other side of the red head, Midorima narrowed his eyes at the blond, with his cold stare.

Once inside the Dungeon, they made their way through the complicated magical labyrinth, with the guidance of the red haired female. They fought their way through monsters, and avoided all the traps and trials. Kasamatsu was impressed. However, he was getting annoyed at the silent competition that the two Miraculous Generals seemed to have. Kagami, though, thought nothing of it, forcing her way into the competition to see who could kill the most monsters, not knowing that it was a “competition for her heart”, as Takao put it.

The eldest Fighter looked up at the giant double doors. “I see what you mean, Takao.” He commented to the younger brunet. He looked over his shoulder to see all the monsters gone, and the three over zealous fighters arguing who killed the most monsters. He, in particular, watched the tall red haired girl. “She made it seem too easy to get this far. Just what is she? She's definitely not just a mere Knight.” He murmured to himself.

Takao smiled. “I wonder that too, along with Shin-chan, and possibly the rest of the Miraculous Generals.” He sighed, and placed his hands behind his head. “I guess that's just part of the mystery of those infamous Generals.” He stretched his back, and grinned up at the older brunet. “Shall we get this over with?” He gestured to the giant double doors.

Kasamatsu opened it, and they were met with a blast of icy air. When the group opened their eyes and looked up, they found a big field of pure ice, nearly glowing in calming blues. There were large randomly placed ice stalagmites, sticking out from the ground, and sharp looking icicles hanging on the ceiling. At the end of the room was a pedestal with the sparkling Artifact, seemingly the only source of light in the giant Heart Chamber. Kagami grinned widely, and rolled her shoulder. “This will be fun.” Then she walked in first, with the others coming up from behind her.

Kise ran after her. “Aren't you cold, Kagami-cchi?” He shivered slightly, while watching the lightly dressed Knight.

The red head smirked, looking over at the blond. “This is nothing to me.”

Takao ran up from behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Ah~ Kagami-chan is like a walking heater! As expected from a fire castor!” He nuzzled his cheeks against her back. The red head froze, and nearly squeaked at the actions of the raven head, arching forward from the contact.

The shorter brunet was roughly torn away from the girl. Midorima was glaring at his partner, tightly clutching on to the back of the boy's collar. “Takao, quit fooling around.”

“Yeah, well, everyone has to pay attention.” Kasamatsu spoke up over the four younger teen. He took out his sword, going into a stance. The others looked around, finding themselves at the center of the Heart Chamber. “It comes.”

The group stood close with their weapons out, backs towards each other. The grounds trembled, and there was a few cracks heard above their heads. Then a giant skeletal monster burst out from the ceiling, allowing light to flood in the icy cavern.

“ _Guardian Skeletal Drago, Rank III. I don't think any of you would have a problem with him._ ” They heard the leader of Etoile spoke in their minds. “ _It's considered an undead. Just be careful of its jaws and claws. It's too bad that we don't have a holy magic castor, but fire will work well with it. However..._ ” Aida's voice became louder, with a hint of a warning in it. Kagami slightly cringed, knowing that she'll be nagged at. “ _Just don't carelessly throw around your spells, especially in a delicate battle ground you're in. From what I could tell, only about 30% of the ground is stable and safe. Everywhere else is just plain ice that could break, and you all know what the result would be._ ”

Kagami bit her lower lip. “ _And, from what I was able to scan from the monster, it's only weak spot is a small point, hidden within it's skull._ ” Aida informed. “ _Try and break that skull that is rumored to be as hard as diamonds, and destroy that point to end it. I'm sure you all got it._ ” She chirped.

Kasamatsu grunted. “Easy for you to say.” He muttered.

“Don't worry Sempai!” Kise twirled his sword. “It's only a Rank III!”

Kagami smirked. “Heh, hard as diamonds? We'll see about that!” Then she dashed forward.

“Hey!” Kasamatsu and Midorima both shouted out. The bespectacled male tisked, and adjusted his glasses. “I forget it's no use in reasoning with someone with her personality.” He sighed with slight irritation. He raised his rifle, and fired it, aiming it at the big skeletal hand that went to slam down on the red head. The monster retracted its limb crying out.

Ruby eyes glared over the shoulder, before the girl leaped up high, and swung her sword across, fused with flames. The monster got hit across the eyes, and was thrown down to the ground. The floors shook, and some icicles started to loosen from the ceiling and fall. Takao raised his barriers above them, laughing lightly. “Kagami-chan is such a riot.” Then he waved his hand, and a red magic circle appeared below him. Red sparkling lights glittered down on all of them, and flames surrounded all their weapons.

Kise grinned, and gave a two finger salute to the shorter brunet, before running towards the monster and the red head. Kasamatsu followed closely behind, with his sword in his hands. Midorima shifted his weight, and lifted his rifle, letting loose more shots. The two Animus members hung back, being the support, and making sure the most reckless fighter doesn't do anything stupid. The other three were hitting with all they got, sword in hand, and working together.

More icicles few from the ceiling, as shock waves of power erupted from the attacks unleashed by the female Knight and the two Generals. The grounds started to crack, and pieces of the floor started to cave in. Kasamatsu frowned, and turned towards the blond and red head, who were moving around, striking the monster with their swords. “Didn't Aida warn you earlier? The grounds are mostly covered with ice, with no way of telling each is safe!”

Kagami and Kise were pushed back, and they slid slightly behind the older male. The monster roared, and slammed it's claws to the ground, causing large cracks. The blond looked at his upperclassman. “Well, I think that monster knows it too.” Then his right foot sank, after a crack reached between his legs. He stepped aside, and turned to the red head. “Kagami-cchi! We've already did enough damage to the guy.” He pointed at the dent with some crack on the top of the monster's skull. “So, let's finish it together!” His eyes sparkling.

The red head slightly pouted, and looked back at the monster. It slammed its claw again, and the ground shook, shifting beneath them. She turned back to the blond, reaching out her hand to him. “Fine!”

Behind the close range fighters, they watched with curiosity at the action between the red head and blond. When the two blared with their own auras of gold and white, the Animus pair widened their eyes in recognition. “That's right, back when Kagami-chan and Kuroko fought against the crazy you, Kise appeared, and also was able to do a merge spell with Kagami-chan.” Takao mentioned, still amazed at witnessing up close such a rare occurrence. Midorima frowned, and the brunet noticed. ' _Ah, of course, Shin-chan would be jealous._ ' He chuckled to himself.

Electricity and fire filled the whole chamber, and the whole place shook. Ice was falling, breaking the icy floors. The whole ground was becoming unstable, and everyone was struggling to keep balance. “Those fools!” Midorima looked up, and saw something small and round like a marble, glowing in red, floating on top of what was left of the skeletal body. The green head didn't even hesitate, lifting his rifle, and pulling the trigger. The monster then exploded into dust. “Go get that Artifact!” He shouted, and the floor below him gave in, sinking a few inches.

Kagami looked up, and narrowed her eyes. She leaped from her spot, and seemed to soar through the air towards the glowing object. She reached out her hand, and the whole place flooded with light.

 

* * *

 

The gates between the two worlds had opened, and the Chosen decided to return back to their home. When they passed through, and their sense of vision returned, they were greeted with the older members of the Etoile Clan, dressed in their school uniforms, sitting on the ground in a small circle with cards in hand.

Hyuuga looked up from his cards, and gave a small wave of his hand. “Welcome back.”

Koganei slammed his cards down. “Take that! Straight Flush!” The others had a small reply of defeat, tossing their hands to the center of the pile.

Aida smiled, and stepping forward, coming up to her friends. Kagami yawned, and rubbed his head. “I'm hungry.” He mumbled, looking out the windows, at the night sky.

Suddenly there was a cry of surprise. Everyone looked over at the hired help, dressed in different school uniforms, standing out among the students of Seirin. Takao pointed up at the tall red haired male. “K-Kagami-chan!?” He cried out in disbelief. Kasamatsu had his blue eyes wide, and Midorima seemed to be frozen in place, the glare of his glasses hiding any indication of emotions. Kise was grinning, amused at their shocked expressions, having already known about the gender-switching Chosen.

Aida turned to the four hired help, with narrowed eyes, and hands on her hips. “Ah, yes, something we forgot to also warn you about Kagami-kun. Apparently, it could be a rare trait passed on in his family for changing genders while passing through worlds. So, you'll need to especially keep this one a secret too.” She warned them.

Kise hooked his arm around the taller male, grinning. “How about I join you for some dinner, Kagami-cchi? Then I'll walk you home. It looks pretty late.”

The red head tugged his arm away, frowning at the blond. “I don't need anyone to walk me home.” He grumbled. “I'm not a girl.”

Takao chuckled, watching the red head. “Even as a guy, Kagami-chan is still adorable.” He nudged the green head, who was looking off to the side, his hand absently fixated at the center of his glasses.

Kagami turned and scowled at the brunet. “Stop calling me adorable, and maybe even stop adding 'chan', especially when we're here on Earth.” There was a small blush on his cheeks.

The brunet snorted, and tugged on his classmate's sleeve. “Well we're off!” He gave a salute to the only female present in the room. “We'll see you tomorrow, Miss Leader!”

“Wait!” Aida called out, and then turned to Tsuchida. “Please show them the back way through this school.” Then the two members from Animus Clan left the small room, following Tsuchida.

Kasamatsu roughly grabbed the back collar of Kise's jacket. “Come on, we're leaving too.” He said sternly. “It's late, and we have classes tomorrow.”

“Eh!? But I was going to have dinner with Kagami-cchi!” The blond whined, as he was being dragged out the room. Koganei and Mitobe volunteered to guide the two members from Wahr through their school.

Kagami sighed, rubbing his head. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something. The red head quickly turned to Aida. “Um, Sempai. I'll be leaving now.” He said awkwardly, picking up his bag that was left on the floor, leaning against the wall.

The girl waved her head. “Go ahead. I'll tell you tomorrow morning the times when the gates will be opening.”

The red head bowed his head, and left the room. He walked through the dark halls, and turned a corner. He paused, and spotted a certain light blue haired boy staring out the window. Kagami took in a deep breath, and then walked towards the boy. He stood beside the shorter boy, slightly fidgeting. “Kuroko...”

“Kagami-kun, don't blame yourself for what happened back in OW.” Kuroko spoke up, interrupting what the red head was going to say. The light haired boy looked up beside him. “I know you're feeling guilty, but you shouldn't. What I did was the right choice, saving you before you were 'killed' in OW.”

The red head frowned. “But why me?” He clenched his hands tightly into fists. “I really want everyone to be there in Espoir. We have to get our revenge together.”

Kuroko turned his head away, closing his eyes. “I have my own reasons as to why I saved you, but most of all, I believe that Kagami-kun needs the opportunity to train more. You are our hope, Kagami-kun. I could not allow a rookie to end so soon in the Other World.”

Ruby eyes glanced over the top of the head of light blue hair. It looked almost silver from the big full moon lighting up the night from outside. “And... are you okay?” He carefully asked, being a bit vague with his question.

But Kuroko knew what the taller boy meant, and a small smile formed on his lips. He looked up at the boy beside him. “I do not know for sure, but if you treat me to a vanilla shake from Maji Burger, then maybe I would feel a little better?”

Kagami snorted, and ruffled the boy's head a bit roughly. “Cheeky bastard.” Then the two walked away together towards their usual eating joint.

 

* * *

 

“Things have been going smoothly, even with the hired help.” Aida reported. It was after school, and the older members of their Clan were present in their small club room.

“And conquering Dungeons are going well, especially with Kagami and the two Miraculous Generals, am I right?” Hyuuga commented, slightly sitting on the only desk in the room, and arms crossed over his chest.

The brunette nodded. “Would you have thought otherwise? And it was no fluke, but Kagami and Kise are able to do a merge spell together. They've been practicing it while they fought in Dungeons.”

“It's kind of hard to believe that Kagami was able to do merge spells, and especially someone other than Kuroko.” Tsuchida commented.

“Yeah, since we're all use to Kagami and Kuroko always being paired together, since they do seem to work really well together.” Izuki replied.

Then Aida shifted her weight to her other foot, and looked at the others. “So, I have been thinking about it for some time now, especially closely observing Kagami-kun and his hidden abilities.” She combed her fingers through her bangs. “It might be a lost cause, but I'm willing to try it.”

“Just say what you want to Riko.” Izuki urged.

The girl crossed her arms, watching the others intently. “There may be a possibility, with Kagami-kun, to get back one of our members.” She spoke with a serious expression. The others all widened their eyes, and gasped at her proposition.

Hyuuga stood up from his seat. “It might not be so impossible, especially with the mysteriousness surrounding our Ace Fighter. He could be the only one that could find him, since he's been pulling off quiet a few miracles.”

Aida nodded. “That's why I proposed it. Because of the dangers quickly rising, and for fear of the future of our Clan, I believe that with him found, it will be reassuring. But most of all, he could help in protecting Kagami-kun.” She said. “It's not that I don't trust in our hired help, since they're Miraculous Generals and are willing to help both Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun, but... I would feel more reassured if there was someone that's officially part of our Clan there.”

Izuki hummed, and smiled. “You're right.”

“Since it's Kagami, I'm sure he'll be able to find him and bring him back to us!” Koganei said excitedly.

The bespectacled male sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Aw man... he's going to come back...”

Aida rolled her eyes, and softly laughed to herself. “Though you complain, Hyuuga-kun is the one that will be the most happy, when we do find him.” She said lightly. All eyes turned to the bespectacled male, who froze in place, back turned towards them. They were all grinning widely.

“Find who?”

Then the attention was turned towards the door, and the older members found their five younger clansmen gathered at the door. Most eyes were drawn towards the tallest male, who was blinking in confusion. “Hm?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could have gone many ways, but I'll just leave it at that. Sorry it didn't turn up as an epic follow up from the last chapter.
> 
> So, who thought that Kise and Midorima would be stepping up to join with Kagami, while Kuroko and the others are unable to? It had been my plan for a long time, because I wanted to give them a chance to be with Kagami, since this is a GOM x Kagami fic. And it gives me practice to write out their personalities, or on how I see the two. Really, sometimes I feel like I'm not really writing them out properly, since they're so weird. Oh gods, I think I'll have an even harder time with the other three... Plus, Kagami, Takao and Kasamatsu are my secret BrOT3, tee hee...
> 
> Guess who's going to show up next!? You didn't think I would have forgotten about him, did you? Oh, and the past of Etoile Clan. I'm going to enjoy writing it out fully sooner or later.
> 
> So, if you can't tell, things are going to start to veer off the cannon timeline a bit. Who knows what will happen then?
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
>  **Time** – _time runs differently between the Other World and the Earth. One hour on Earth equals one day in the Other World._
> 
>  **"Death"** – _after a Chosen “dies” in the Other World, they will get forced out, and back on Earth. The Chosen are not able to return until about three weeks to a month time on Earth._
> 
>  **Hired Help** – _to build good connections with other Clans, there are times when in need of help from other Clans. They are able to hire outside help, and create contracts for as long as needed. Sometimes payment would be with money or with Artifacts, or deals with promises for future events._


	12. The Lost Knight

The two females of the Etoile Clan stood at the center of a training room in their base. In front of them laid out a 3D holographic map of a vast land. The short brunette lifted the tablet in her arm, looking up at the red head beside her. “As you can remember, this is the map of the land that is part of OW, that only us in Japan have access to.” With a tap of her finger on the tablet, there were several blinking golden lights spread across the map. “Those there are the locations of these Special Dungeons.” Aida explained. “They appear at least once a year, so that means there are very rare Artifacts in them, no matter the Rank of the Dungeon.”

“These Dungeons have a time limit, usually lasting to about 2 days in Earth time. And when the time is up, it disappears off the map, and won't come back until another year later in Earth time.” The brunette shifted her weight to one leg, looking back up at the red head. “These Dungeons usually have more than one Rare Artifact, and it limits each Clan to only one of those Artifacts per appearance in OW.”

Kagami furrowed her brows, staring at one of the blinking lights on the map. “So... you want me to help in locating a specific Artifact that you really want?” She slowly asked, giving a guess on what the older girl's intentions were.

Aida shook her head, and her expression slightly fell. “No... I need you to locate a person... if you could.” She said a bit hesitantly.

Ruby eyes widened in surprise. “A person?” The red head questioned.

Then the brunette's expression became somber, as she bowed her head. “It's... part of our Clan's past, and we were all eventually going to tell you five new members about it... our lost member, Kiyoshi Teppei.”

“Lost...?” Kagami whispered.

Hand slightly clutched on to the hem of her shorts. “You see... Teppei... he was the one who actually started Etoile Clan, when we all first entered into Seirin High. He's our strongest member, known for his unbeatable defense. He was our heart, always keeping us together, on task, and always motivated us, making us believe that our tiny Clan can make a difference in OW.” There was a fond look in the girl's eyes.

“But then... after the Open Bronze Summer Tournaments...” Her expression fell again, and her voice falling softer. “We decided to take on one of the Rare Dungeons. There was a scuffle with a rival Clan... and Teppei... he... he sacrificed himself to send out all the members from the Dungeon... he was left in there, and it disappeared, taking away our founding member...” Aida rubbed her eye with the back of her hand.

Kagami watched the older girl with disbelief. She fidgeted after a few moments of silence between them, with only the sounds of the brunette sniffing. The red head took in a deep breath. “So then... you want me to find him, this Kiyoshi Teppei...”

Aida looked up, her nose and eyes red. “To be honest, I've been closely monitoring you and your progress here as a Chosen. After uncovering all your abilities, especially your instincts to accurately guide to and through Dungeons, and leading to the straight path towards the Artifacts, I firmly believe that you may also be able to find him, our lost member.”

The expression of the red head fell, and she bowed her head, with her brows knitted together. She lightly bit her lower lip. “I... don't know if I could even find a person, especially someone I haven't met before.” Kagami lightly spoke. “And... I... really don't want to get everybody's hopes up....” She suddenly felt a bit discouraged, a rare sight to see on the red head.

The brunette gave a gentle smile, and reached out her hand, placing it on the taller girl's shoulder. “Don't worry, Kagami-kun. I believe in you, everyone does, because you're our Ace Fighter.” There was encouragement in Aida's tone.

Kagami took in a deep breath, and released it slowly. “What should I do?” She asked, after a moment's pause.

Nearly all the blinking lights on the map disappeared, only leaving about five of them. “These are the Special Dungeons that have appeared recently that are within our Clan's Rank.” Aida looked up at the red head. “It is said that they never appear in the same spot, and the worst of it all, their outside appearance are always identical, always being the same every single year.” She gestured to the map, and wide windows popped up, connected to the dots, with identical images of the Dungeons, but on different terrain.

The red head stared at the map, biting her lower lip again. Then the brunette came up to her, holding in her hands a rather long double edged sword, that nearly went up past Aida's head. The blade was shining in silver, with a beautiful diamond embedded on the end of the handle. Kagami looked up at the older girl with question. The brunette lifted the sword, giving it to the girl. It felt a little heavy in the red head's hands.

“It's all we have left of Teppei.” The shorter girl told. Kagami sharply looked up, suddenly feeling as if she shouldn't be holding such a memento. Aida smiled. “I'm hoping it could help you. You see, it has a twin.” She pointed at the sword. “And I strongly believe that Teppei still has it. Maybe with that sword, it could help you in locating its twin, leading to its owner.”

Kagami stared at the sword, then lifted it up, watching the light shine on the edges. She took in a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes. She suddenly gasped, and dropped the sword, the weapon clanging loudly on the floor. Aida widened her eyes, and quickly went up to the younger girl. “Kagami-kun? What happened? Are you okay?” She hurriedly asked with worry.

The red head seemed to be breathing a bit heavy, as she stared down at the sword on the ground. “I... think I might have some clue...” Then she bent down, and picked up the sword by the handle. Kagami looked up at the brunette. “But... I don't want to get your hopes up... I might be wrong...”

Shaking her head, Aida looked up with a wide smile at the younger girl. “It's okay. As long as you tried, Kagami-kun.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, what happens when a person supposedly disappears from OW?” A voice deftly questioned, with ruby eyes staring blankly ahead.

Emerald green eyes blinked, before looking over at the red head beside him. Ahead of them, Kasamatsu easily slashed a dog monster. The three were at morning boarder patrol. Since they had arrived back to the OW, Aida pulled Kagami aside, while she allowed the hired help to settle in, and prepare for their morning patrol. After the meeting between the two girls, it was obvious in the change of behavior in the tall red haired girl. She seemed more absentminded, and not so focused.

Midorima lowered his guns, seeing as there was no other stray monster at a distance. He looked at the red head, who was just standing, in a relaxed position, with her hands on the handle of her sword, and the tip of the giant blade resting on the ground. “What do you mean? There are many ways a person could disappear from here, namely a person's death.”

Kagami shook her head. “No... what if... someone gets stuck here in OW, and have no way to return... like in a Dungeon or something, and can't come out or return back home to Earth?”

A brow was raised, as green eyes carefully observed the tall girl. The boy sighed, and adjusted his glasses. “There are a lot of theories of what the consequences could be, if ever someone would hypothetically get stuck or disappear.” Midorima spoke, looking away from the girl. “The most that I hear is that they get forgotten on Earth. Their family would not remember them, as if they do not exist, even if one of the members from the generation before was a Chosen.” Kagami sharply looked up at the taller boy, with a somber emotion in her eyes. “But, only the current generation of Chosen would remember that person. Where that person could have ended up, no one really knows, and it's all just speculations.”

“Hey! We're returning back to base!” The two heard Kasamatsu call out to them, having given them some space as they talked. He was a few feet down the road from them. The two taller teens nodded, and began to follow after the older fighter.

Green eyes glanced over at the girl beside him, from the corner of his eye. “It's curious that you would ask such question, as you usually don't give off the impression to think of something so complex with theories. Shouldn't you have learned this all already from your Clansmen?”

Kagami pouted, and narrowed her eyes at the tall boy. “Are you saying I'm stupid? Because I'm not!” She grumbled. “And I was just wondering about it, since it just came to me, okay?” She huffed, and crossed her arms, silently fuming.

Inwardly, Midorima sighed, staring straight ahead. ' _I'm sure it's because of what could have happened this morning with her Leader..._ ' Then he mentally sighed again. ' _No. It's no use to get involved in whatever business they have..._ ' He took a small hidden glance back at the girl, seeing her mood changed back to the lost and absentminded expression. ' _It's just unnerving to see her like this..._ ' With a click of his tongue, Midorima tore his eyes away, and focused in his surroundings, as he and his assigned partners returned to the Etoile Base.

 

* * *

 

“Wow! Can't believe that Miss Leader decided to take on a Special Dungeon!” Kise mused, with his eyes sparkling with excitement. Then he turned to the red haired girl. “And I'm so glad I get to conquer it with you, Kagami-cchi!” He chirped.

Kagami blinked her eyes, and looked at the blond. “Huh? Oh, yeah...” She replied, a bit distracted, not reacting to the hyperactive blond. She looked up at the giant doors of the Dungeon.

The blond slightly tilted his head to one side, furrowing his brows with worry. “Is something wrong, Kagami-cchi?” He slightly tugged on the girl's red scarf.

The red head blinked, and looked at the blond. “Nothing's wrong.” She replied flatly. Then touched her hand on the door. There was a flash of light, and the group found themselves inside the Dungeon.

There was a poke on the girl's bare lower back, and she squeaked in surprise. She turned around and glared at Takao. The boy was grinning up at her. “Say, could you tell the locations of all the Artifacts here?” He wondered.

Kagami turned around, and closed her eyes. “I... can see them all.” She murmured, and slowly opened her eyes. Kasamatsu frowned, seeing the far away look the girl had.

“ _Heads up, guys! There are already three other Clans in this Dungeon._ ” Aida warned them.

Takao grinned, raising his arms behind his head. “Shall we go have some fun and play with them?” He questions cheerfully.

Kise beamed. “Yeah! We should! Surprise them with our awesome group of mixed up Clan members, ne?”

Kasamatsu rolled his wrist, shrugging. “I don't mind.”

Everyone turned towards the silent red head, who surprisingly wasn't loud and enthusiastic about engaging in battle with other Clans. Midorima frowned, and grabbed the girl's upper arm. Kagami turned her head, meeting with narrowed green eye. “Is there something you want to share with us? Not that I don't really care what is going on in your head, but you being in a state of distraction is no help at all in our mission to conquer this Dungeon.” He said a bit coldly, slightly squeezing the girl's arm.

The red head jerked her arm away. “Nothing is wrong. I'm just a little tired, but I can still fight!” She replied with a glare, though it wasn't as fierce as the green head was more used to. Then she turned around, and pointed down a hallway. “That way! We're going that way!” She looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed with the recognizable competitive intensity. “I can sense two of those Clans through that way.” She started walking. “You want to go fight them right? Let's go kick their asses out of this Dungeon!” She shouted a bit more forcefully.

The others glanced towards one another. Takao shrugged, and jogged after the red head, with Kise right beside him. Kasamatsu was still frowning, closely watching the back of the girl. “Definitely something is up with her.” He muttered to himself. “It's kind of weird seeing her like that, and she doesn't even realize that she kind of sucks at lying.”

“Let's just hope that it doesn't affect her performance in battle.” Midorima spoke, adjusting his glasses. The older male casually looked over at the tall green head, and then sighed.

 

* * *

 

Throughout the Dungeon, the four boys had to run to catch up to the red head, who was speeding her way through the maze. She would not be deterred when monsters appeared, easily destroying them with one or two slashes of her giant sword, or a blast of her fire spells. The others would only come in time to save her from a monster she wouldn't notice and nearly take her head. Just when someone wanted to scold her, the girl would run off without a word.

Then they encountered one of the Clans that were roaming in the Dungeon. Kagami got impatient, and lifted her sword, rushing forward. “Out of the way!” She lifted her sword up, and maneuvered to slam it down upon the male Warrior of the opposing Clan.

“Shield!” The rival female Sorceress shouted. Sword met the invisible barrier, and the sharp noise caused everyone to wince. The Sorceress widened her eyes when she saw cracks on the shield spell.

“Take this!” A female Hunter unleashed a volley of bullets at the red head.

“Kagami-cchi!” Kise dove at the girl, pushing her away from the line of fire. They rolled on the ground, stopping at a safe area to the side. The blond pushed up, looking down at the girl, with concern. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Kagami slightly pushed the boy off of her, to sit up. “Yeah...” She saw Kasamatsu, Takao and Midorima fighting their opponents. Then the girl got pinched on her cheek, and Kagami pulled back, holding on her aching cheek. She glared at the blond male. “Hey! What's the big idea?” Ruby eyes slightly widened, quieting down.

“This is not like you at all.” Golden eyes narrowed at the girl, and the cheerful facade of the blond melted away. “You're annoying, and no use to us at all.” Kise spoke in a deep and low tone, that sent shivers down the girl's spine. The blond stood up, sword and gun in hand. “If you're going to continue to be like this, then just stay down there. I still have my promise to fulfill.” Then the blond seemingly disappeared from in front of the girl.

Kagami blinked her eyes, hand still on her cheek. She watched as mostly Kise and Midorima easily took care of the rival Clan. Faint images seemed to blended with the scene in front of her, and she quickly shook her head. She tightly clenched her hand and jaw.

When it was obvious that their team won, the rival Clan was pushed back, and an invisible wall blocked them from continuing the same path. A hand was presented in front of the girl, and Kagami looked up to see Kasamatsu standing in front of her. She silently took the hand, and was helped to stand. “You're okay? You didn't get hurt anywhere?” He asked.

Kagami glanced up to see a certain blond avoiding in looking towards her direction. She looked back down at the eldest male. “Yeah, I didn't get hurt.” She carefully observed the older male. “And you?”

Kasamatsu waved a hand. “No, nothing life threatening. No need to heal.” Then he looked at the other three boys. “Let's continue.” He looked up at the red head, and Kagami continued to lead the way through. The older male couldn't ignore the tension that seemed to have formed among their team. He also didn't miss that there was some kind of exchange between his underclassman and the red head earlier. He frowned. ' _Seriously, is there always going to be some kind of drama when it deals with the Generals and this girl?_ ' He massaged his temple. ' _I'm still considered young, I really don't need this right now..._ '

 

* * *

 

Right in front of their little group stood the giant double doors that lead to the Heart Chamber where their prize awaited. Kasamatsu glanced behind to see the three younger boys. His blue eyes locked on to his younger clansman. It unnerved him when the whole way through the Dungeon, he was clearly avoiding and ignoring the red haired girl, whom Kasamatsu was beginning to get used to the flirting of the blond towards the naive girl. Though no one would say it, there was obviously a heavy tension between the two Miraculous Generals and the only female fighter in their group. Kasamatsu inwardly praised Takao for trying hard to lessen it, by bringing up random conversations between the two Generals and the girl. But the two boys seemed to direct the topic away from the girl, while said girl was still in that absentminded state. It was frustrating, but Kasamatsu learned to be patient. ' _As long as we get results and win that Artifact._ ' He thought.

“Stop right there!”

The group all stopped, and turned around at the other side of an entrance to the section. They saw a rivaling Clan, with a female in shining armor glaring at them, pointing out towards them. “ _That's Toevallig Clan's Team 2 of Squad Phi._ ” The group heard their Guide in their minds. “ _And that's their Team Captain, Satou Haru, Class Knight. There are three Hunters, one Cleric, and one Guard. They are only ranked III, so they won't be so much of a problem, especially if you take out the Cleric first._ ”

Kise sighed, and raked his fingers through his bangs. “But I can't fight pretty girls.” He moaned a bit dramatically. Out of six members, four were females.

Kasamatsu glared at the blond, grabbing him at his collar and pulling him close to his face. “Listen here, you idiot Kohai! Girl or boy, you're going to fight, and we're getting that Artifact!”

The blond whimpered. “But, but...”

Shots were fired, and the Knight and Guard rushed towards them. The group dispersed, leaping away at separate directions. Midorima lifted his long rifle, and aimed. A barrier was erected, protecting from the fired shots from two of the opposing Hunters that caught sight of the tall green haired male. Midorima narrowed his eyes, and open fire, hitting the raised barrier from the Guard that protected the rival Cleric. The green head clicked his tongue. His eyes caught something from the corner of his eyes, and Kagami stood between him and the other female Knight of their rivaling Clan.

Kagami lifted up her giant sword with a battle cry, and brought it down hard. Satou cringed when the sword smashed against her barrier. There were cracks appearing, like fragile glass. Then a shot was fired, and it hit Kagami through her upper arm, causing her to cry out, and pull back. Satou grinned, and charged at her with her lance.

Midorima narrowed his eyes, and raised his glowing hand, encased in his own green aura. Vines burst out from the ground, and blocked the opposing female Knight from the red head. Kagami staggered back, and bumped into Midorima, who caught her. He glared down at the girl. “What is wrong with you? Are you even paying attention?” He growled, losing his usually controlled temper.

The red head pulled away from the tall male, and placed her hand on her bleeding arm. “I am!” Kagami shouted, glaring at the ground.

Midorima grabbed the girl's hand, and forced her to look up into his cold glaring eyes. Kagami's breath hitched, and she froze in place, looking into the piercing emerald eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses. “No you're not.” He hissed. “I have it with your foolish thoughtless recklessness. I've known you were an idiot, but you're being a bigger moron if you haven't caught on that you're getting all of us annoyed at you. This is not you.” Then he pushed her back, just as his vines receded back to the ground. “Just stay out of our way.” He hissed, as he lifted his pair of long barreled guns, and started firing.

Kagami was boiling with anger, taking in all that the green head said to her. She glanced over to the other side, and saw Kise, Kasamatsu and Takao working together to fight the other Clan. “ _Kagami-kun._ ” The red head blinked, and slightly raised her head, hearing her Clan Leader's voice in her head. “ _I'm sorry that I placed such a big burden on you. I know how much you're feeling anxious and scared of failing all of our expectations of you._ ” The girl's heart clenched, and she bit the side of her cheek. “ _But, Kagami-kun, you need to realize that you can't afford to 'die' most of all. You're Etoile Clan's last hope, and you carry the wishes, strength and pride of our Clan. You need to remember that you're never alone, Kagami-kun. There are people willing to help you, and would fight by your side._ ”

Ruby eyes scanned the area, watching the four Chosen that sacrificed their time and skills to work in a different Clan. Kagami widened her eyes, seeing that the others got hurt, and the scene blended with the horrifying images of her Clan being decimated. The girl vigorously shook her head. “I'm sorry.” She whispered, and lifted up her sword. “I can't allow any more of my comrades to die in front of me again.”

With a wave of her hand, barriers were erected around Midorima, Kise and Kasamatsu, surprising especially the two from Wahr Clan. Then white glittering lights came raining down on each member of her team, healing their wounds, and they started to feel re-energized. Kagami then adjusted her sword in her hands, and dashed into the battle, blocking the blade that was about to strike Takao in the back, while he was busy concentrating in spells at a male Hunter. The raven jumped in surprise, looking over his shoulder. Kagami then raised a barrier, protecting them from the barrage of shots aimed at them. “Kagami-chan!”

Blaring in her red aura, the girl released a big blast of fire, pushing the Guard from the opposing Clan. “Flame Blast!” Then the girl turned her attention to the two Hunters surrounding the Cleric from the other Clan. “You got my back, Takao?” Her eyes trained at her target.

The raven haired boy grinned, and winked at her. “You bet, and so does Shin-chan.” He glanced over at the distance to the green haired male. Midorima frowned, narrowing his eyes at his clansman.

Kagami grinned, and rolled her shoulders. Then in quick speed she rushed at the Hunters and Cleric. A barrier was raised, deflecting the shots aimed at her. From behind, power shots were released, hitting against the barrier that the Cleric raised. The red head narrowed her eyes, and leaped into the air, shocking the three opponents. Then a glitter of orange lights surrounded the girl. All of her senses heightened, and she felt lighter. With her sword, she plummeted down like a meteor, her blade slamming hard against the shield spell. The whole place trembled at the contact, and dust flew out. In a mere second it was silent, until the sounds of cracking was heard, and the barrier shattered. The three members were slow to react, and it was like an explosion that followed when Kagami finally made contact.

Takao was grinning widely with pride, dusting his hands as he saw the big cloud of smoke where the red head attacked the three members of the rivaling Clan. Every one in the area all stopped to turned their heads at the spot. Satou, the Team Captain gasped and cried out to her clansmen. “Everyone!” She rushed at Kasamatsu with her shield attached to her arm, pushing him down, then running to her other clansman.

Kise came up to his Sempai, offering out his hand to him. Kasamatsu clicked his tongue, and took the hand, being helped up by his underclassman. “Takao just had to use an enhancement spell on Kagami.” The eldest muttered to himself. He saw the other Hunter with the Guard also running after their Captain.

The blond took a step forward, but Kasamatsu stopped his clansman. “I don't think we have to worry much.” He spoke, watching as the smoke thinned out.

Kise furrowed his brows. “What do you mean? Kagami-cchi-”

“Is fine.” The older male simply said. Out from smoke rushed Kagami with her blazing sword. Then magic circles appeared below the last three members, who were distracted from trying to block the incoming red haired Knight. They became stuck on the spots they stood, and started to panic. But they were further caught off guard when power shots hit their arms, stopping them from trying to summon out their spells. “Flame Strike!”

Kasamatsu turned around calmly, heading towards the giant double doors. Soon there was an explosion, and flames burst out, nearly engulfing the whole area. But the barriers around their team protected them from the licking fires. Kise's jaw dropped, blinking his eyes several times, looking at the spot where Kagami was, hidden in the dark clouds of smoke, with fires burning around in random areas, then back to his upperclassman. Takao and Midorima came walking through the smoke, following after Kasamatsu. The shorter male had his hands behind his head, grinning widely, while his partner adjusted his glasses, with a calm expression. Kise suddenly became confused. ' _Am I missing something here?_ ' The blond jumped in surprise when the red haired girl pulled a Kuroko on him, suddenly standing beside him. “Kagami-cchi!”

The girl rubbed the back of her head, looking a bit guilty. Kise felt his face heating up at the cute expression he was seeing from the red head. “Um... I want to say I'm sorry for acting like an idiot this whole time... erm... more of an idiot that usual, I guess...” She awkwardly apologized, fidgeting in her place, while trying to avoid looking up into the boy's golden eyes. “I... never meant to put any of you in danger. It's just... a lot of things just was suddenly dumped onto me, and I was getting caught up with not wanting to cause disappointment.” She closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. She slowly raised her head and looked up at the tall blond. Behind him, she was able to catch Midorima standing with his back turned. “But it seems like I disappointed you guys, and honestly, though I hate to admit it, I really didn't want you guys to look at me that way. We're rivals after all.”

Kise felt his hands tremble, as he was struggling to keep his hands to himself and not try to pull the girl into a tight embrace. “And what was it that has kept you distracted this whole time?” Midorima spoke from behind. The blond jumped again, not having sensed that the taller male was behind him. He looked over to see the green head, hiding his emotions while adjusting his glasses higher to the bridge of his nose. Kise turned back, also wondering the same thing.

Kagami took in a deep breath, then slowly parted her lips. But the grounds shook, throwing the girl off balance. Kise quickly caught her to keep her steady. They all turned around, looking into the Heart Chamber. Takao and Kasamatsu were standing a few feet away from them, deeper into the Heart Chamber, with their weapons in hand. The younger raven head looked over his shoulders. “Uh guys, you'll need to cut your chat short. We still have some business to take care of.” Takao called out to them.

The three came up behind the two dark haired males, and went into stance with their weapons in hand. Bursting out from the floor was a giant gorilla like monster, that roared and beat its chest. The beating sound caused the team to winced, like their ears were going to pop. “ _Guardian Primape, Rank IV. This one might be a little tough. It's said that its skin is very tough and thick to get through, and it packs a lot of punch with its hits. I suggest disabling the monster by taking out its giant hands._ ” They watched as the monster started to jump around, and then would throw its arms high in the air, then slam it down to the ground, causing the group to lose balance as the grounds shook.

“ _Also, to warn you, it has a special attack... So you'll need to stop it before it summons that attack._ ” Aida warned, with her tone on edge.

“You don't happen to know what it is, would you?” Kasamatsu carefully asked, surveying the area and the monster.

“ _Gravity_.” The four boys cringed.

Kagami blinked several times. “What's that?”

Takao started to glow in his orange aura, with a magic circle appearing below him. “You really don't want to know.” He waved his hands, and the whole group was encased in the orange glittering lights. Midorima raised his long rifle, taking aim.

“We'll need to make this very quick.” The eldest male spoke. He glanced back at his clansman and the only female. “We're going to take out its arms, got that?” He glanced over at Takao and Midorima. They both nodded, not needing instructions to know what their roles were. Then Kise and Kagami took off, with Kasamatsu following.

With the added speed, the three quickly lunged towards the monster. They maneuvered around, avoiding being crushed by the giant fists of the gorilla monster. Kise blared with his golden aura, and his blade was surrounded with crackling electricity. “Voltage Strike!” With a quick stroke with his sword, the attack hit the monster's arm, and electricity followed, zapping the monster.

It cried out loud in pain, and swung its arm at the blonde male. Kise was able to dodge, only for the red haired girl, blaring with her own red aura and fires surrounding her giant blade, to sweep in with her elemental attack. “Flame Strike!” The monster cried out again, its arm being blown away from hitting the ground by the blasts of fire and electricity.

Kasamatsu grunted, going into a stance with his sword. ' _Can't allow these underclassmen to show me up._ ' Then he dashed forward, eyes locked on to the same arm that Kise and Kagami attacked. There were still traces of flames and electrical currents around that arm. “Strike Raid!” In very quick successions, the oldest member let lose multiply strikes with his blade. Then with one powerful strike, Kasamatsu ended up landing behind the monster, with his sword raised in neutral position in both hands.

There was a big explosion, and the arm was off. The monster cried out, and flailed. Kise and Kagami watched the eldest male with awe at the finishing move. “Sempai is so amazing!” Kise squealed. Kagami mutely nodded in agreement, her eyes shining at watching Kasamatsu.

There was a shot, and vines shot out from the ground, restraining the only arm left of the monster. It was thrashing around to get free. “Pay attention, you fool!” Midorima hissed, and released another shot at the big arm. Kise and Kagami in their own versions, blew a raspberry at the tallest male in their group. Takao chuckled. They raised their swords and went for the attack.

Then the Guardian monster released a piercing sound that caused all of them to wince, and throw their hands over their aching ears. The monster threw its head back, and started to glow in a dark purple aura. The four boys widened their eyes and cursed. Kagami was shaking her head, trying to get the ringing out from her ears. When she looked back up, she saw the dreaded expressions her teammates held. She turned to the monster to see a dark purple ball of energy growing above the monster's head. ' _Don't tell me that's..._ '

Kagami braced herself, and raised her hands up. ' _I need to protect everyone!_ '

For a moment, it became silent when the ball of energy reached its peak, boring a hole against the ceiling. Then the monster released the ball of energy, and it slowly descended to the ground. It became heavy for everyone, as the force was pressing heavily down on them. Breathing became hard, and Kagami felt her shields shatter, not able to keep up. Then the ball of energy hit the ground, and the darkness of the attack spread out on the floor, all across the room. Everyone fell to the floor, their bodies pressed down hard, and their energy quickly being sapped.

Kagami gritted her teeth, trying to push through. ' _No! We can't end like this! Not when we were so close..._ ' She struggled to open her eyes, seeing the others also clenching their teeth at the heavy attack crushing them. Slowly, their bodies were getting weaker. Takao cried out, blood hacked out from his mouth. Kagami clenched her fists, and pushed down on the floor. “No...”

Kise peeked through one eye, and looked at the red head. ' _Kagami-cchi... what are you doing? The more you fight it, the harder it will be on your body... you'll die quicker that way..._ ' He bowed his head, closing his eyes. ' _Oh gods... I failed! I'm sorry Kuroko-cchi!_ '

Midorima tore his gaze away from his clansman, knowing that his lungs have been crushed by the devastating gravity attack. He looked towards the red head, seeing as she was struggling to get up from the floor. ' _That fool... she'll get crushed and die faster... why... why do you have to be so stubborn? Why do you keep struggling?_ '

“I won't...” The girl's voice was a hoarse whisper. She was able to push herself up to her elbows, and a tiny film of a white aura started to form around her. Kasamatsu cringed, and slowly opened his eyes. They widened when they caught sight of the red haired girl. “....Let anyone...” Slowly, Kagami was able to bring one leg underneath her, and her arms were trembling hard as it straightened out beneath her. The white aura grew thicker around her. “Die!” Her aura burst out, and she was able to stand up, eyes glaring hard at the Guardian monster. The others were shocked, as the girl seemed to no longer be affected by the attack.

Kagami raised her hand, aimed at the monster. “Blaze Blast!” The stream of fire hit the monster, knocking it off its feet. The attack shattered, and the boys all gasped for air. Takao was cough, holding his chest. Glittering white lights rained down on all of them, and a warmth surrounded them. The four boys easily got up, feeling as their energy returned to them. They all looked up at the girl, who took out her giant sword. “Let's go! We're going to win this!” Then she dashed forward.

The four glanced at one another, and Kise, Takao and Kasamatsu grinned. Midorima adjusted his glasses, and took out his long rifle. The two clansmen from Wahr took out their swords and ran behind the girl. Takao patted his chest, and took in a deep breath. Slowly letting it out, his daggers appeared in his hands, and he began to glow in his orange aura. “Seriously, Kagami-chan is just full of surprises.” He waved his hand, with magic circle below him.

Midorima stayed silent, not wanting to comment out loud at his clansman's words. ' _We all already know that._ ' He carefully watched the red head's back, and her movements. He pulled the trigger, hitting the monster at its head, causing it to recoil back from the attack, allowing an opening for the three swordsmen. Fire and electricity followed, and the multiple strikes from the eldest member. The monster became arm-less and was screeching and flailing around.

When the monster threw its head up, and dark purple energy started to gather, Kagami glared. “Not this time!” She turned her head, and threw out her hand to the blond male. “Kise!”

Kise widened his eyes, and looked into the narrowed and determined ruby eyes of the girl's. Then he grinned, and took the girl's hand. Their aura burst out, clashing against one another, and a wide magic circle appeared below them, spreading out to fill the whole room. They when to their positions, and shouted with big grins. “Electric Inferno!”

The battle against the Guardian of the Heart Chamber ended, and Kagami fell to her knees. “Kagami-cchi!” Kise quickly crouched down next to the girl, with worry. “That must have took a lot out of you, especially when you fought through it's Gravity attack.”

The girl chuckled. “It's nothing.” She panted. The girl looked up, and saw a hand offered out to her. She raised her gaze higher to meet with emerald eyes behind a pair of glasses. She took it, and was helped up. And then glowered a bit, feeling the heated gaze from the tallest male. “What?” She grumbled, knowing she was going to get lectured again by the green head.

“Reckless again.” Midorima spoke, as he crossed his arms, and with that calm expression on. Kagami huffed, and looked up with glaring eyes, about to angrily talk back. “But at least you didn't lose your focus.” He coughed into his fist, and turned around, walking away from the girl to his snickering clansman. Kise stood up, glaring at the back of Midorima's head, having saw the blush on Kagami's cheeks as she blinked several times to comprehend what the boy just said. Kasamatsu sighed, and shook his head.

There was a flash of light at the end of the chamber, and stairs appeared, with something glowing at the top. They all looked up. “Well, let's get out of here. There's our prize.” Kasamatsu said, and started to go climb the stairs.

Kagami felt her heart pause for a moment. Kise looked back at the girl. “Kagami-cchi?” The red head shook her head, and narrowed her eyes with determination. She began to follow the others in climbing the stairs, walking by the blond. Kise carefully watched the girl, and then followed behind her.

When they got to the top, they found a long golden pedestal. Everyone became shocked upon what was lying on top of the pedestal. There was a statue of a very tall male in heavy armor, sleeping, with its hands casually on his stomach, and a sword in his hands.

In Kagami's head, she heard her Leader gasp, and then choke. “ _Y-you... you found him, Kagami-kun..._ ” Aida whispered. “ _And he's... he's..._ ” The girl looked down, and saw the one she was given the mission to find. It was an image of a Knight, immortalized in stone.

Kasamatsu stepped forward, and widened his eyes. “No way... is this... Kiyoshi Teppei?” The others all looked to the eldest member. “He was said to be one of the strongest Knights of OW, only second to one of the Miraculous Generals.” Kagami was surprised to hear of such thing, and looked back down at her said to be upperclassman.

“Petrification.” Takao spoke quietly, slowly reaching up, and lightly touched the shin guard of the Knight. “A very high class, and very deadly curse spell that turns people to stone.” He pulled his hand back, and looked at the others. “They're just as good as dead to both OW and Earth. There is no way to break the curse without a very super rare and very expensive potion only found in the Imperial City.” Kagami frowned, suddenly feeling disheartened. “Plus, if you were to break the curse, it has to happen within an hour window since the curse was placed, or else they will be considered dead.”

A picture of Aida crying came to Kagami's head. She frowned, and clenched her fists tightly. “No more... no one will die under my watch.” She whispered softly, closing her eyes.

Midorima caught her words, and looked at the girl. He found that her expression was in a trance like state. He carefully watched her as she stepped up closer to the statue, reaching her hands out over the heart of the petrified Knight. Her whole body became encased in a glowing white glittering light. Warning bells were ringing in his head, and his chest felt a bit queasy that this girl was going to do something very dangerous. “Kagami.” He called out, knowing for sure that she was going to do the impossible again.

Kasamatsu threw out his arm, blocking the bespectacled male and his fellow clansman, who were both going to step up to interfere. The eldest also could tell that the red head was going to do something phenomenal again. Since he joined Etoile to help as a hired help, he began to understand the protectiveness of the Clan of the girl, but also the wonderment of allowing the girl spread out her wings to discover all her hidden capabilities. ' _This was the prize that Aida was eyeing this whole time. If I recall, Kiyoshi was part of Etoile Clan, but he disappeared after the Open Bronze Summer Tournament... I get it now, Kagami's strange behavior. And of course, with her abilities, I would have taken advantage of her too to find a missing member..._ '

Energy started to flow out from her hands, and on to the area above the heart. Brows furrowed with concentration. Time started to tick by, and it became visible that exhaustion was growing on the girl. Beads of sweat formed, and her mouth was slightly open as she shakily started to pant for air.

Kise took a step forward, reaching out his hand to the girl. “Kagami-cchi, you're using up too much energy.” He warned. Kasamatsu also frowned with concern. ' _Could we have overestimated her abilities? Maybe she really can't break the curse. No Cleric could break Petrification spells after the hour time span is over..._ ' Kise took another carefully step forward. “Kagami-cchi...”

There was a flash of light, and the four boys all threw their arms up to shield their eyes from the brightness. They all looked through with squinting eyes, and they saw Kagami bathed in the glittering lights, with a faint outline of wings behind her. They all widened their eyes in awe. Sounds of cracking were heard, and they all turned to see the stone around the sleeping body was breaking off. When it all shattered, what was left was a live male, with shining gold armor, holding on to a long beautiful sword.

Slowly, deep chocolate colored brown eyes opened, with a vision of red. When the big male slowly sat up after a big and loud yawn, he got surprised when a girl fell on top of his lap. He blinked several times, and slightly held her up. “Hey? Are you okay?” He turned his head and saw four other males, all with wide eyes in shock. He sat up straighter, still holding on to the red haired girl, looking confused. But then he smiled sheepishly. “Um, I'm confused on what's going on. So, could you probably help me out here?” He spoke in a deep, but light tone, laughing a little from the awkwardness. Two of them had their jaws drop.

 

* * *

 

Ruby eyes fluttered opened, with a blur of green and gold within sight. Blinking a few times, there were two distinct and familiar boys sitting around the bed. Kagami raised her head, and found her self in the recognizable infirmary of the Etoile Base. She groaned, and dropped her head back down into the pillow. “How long have I been asleep?” She mumbled.

“Only about three hours at least, since you passed out.” The girl turned her head to her left and found another familiar male with raven hair and blue-gray eyes. Takao grinned, and then stood up from his seat. “I'll go tell the others you're awake now!” He saluted, and quickly skipped out of the room.

Kagami sighed, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She could feel the pair of eyes staring at her, and the silence was getting to her, knowing that the two other occupants in the room have something to say. She slowly opened eyes eyes, and turned to the two vibrantly colored haired males. “What?” She mumbled.

Kise instantly went up to her bedside, and grabbed her hand. “I'm glad you're awake. I was worried you'd be unconscious for longer, especially with all that energy you used up today.” He sighed, then squeezed the girl's hand. “Seriously, Kagami-cchi, you're going to be very bad for my heart.”

“Huh?” The girl scrunched her nose, not understanding what the blond meant. “Well sorry for almost getting your killed.” She pouted. “I know I was reckless and not focusing, but I didn't really mean for you to get hurt.”

The blond blinked, and then raised his hands. “What? No, that's not what I meant... But, what you did today was kind of stupid... But it's okay, you've been forgiven already.” He smiled. “In the end, we were able to work together and beat that Guardian.”

“You could have told us from the start what you were planning.” Midorima spoke up from his spot in his seat, with his arms crossed. “I understand now your random questioning, and your careless and odd behavior.” Kagami huffed again, hiding her shame of the truth that they all saw through. “But I'm sure you have learned from your reckless actions, and realize that you're not the only one that is fighting and that's part of the team.”

Kise snorted. “That's classic, coming from you.”

“Shut up. You, coming from the same clan.” Midorima hissed, glaring at his former clansman.

Kagami sighed, ignoring the tension and building random argument from the two. “Yeah, yeah, I know already and learned my lessons from you two lecturing me.” She pouted, and crossed her arms. “But... thanks, I guess... I needed some reminder and a knock on the head.” She begrudgingly muttered, looking off to the side and away from the two. They felt their heart race a little as they saw the girl trying to hide her blush with a scowl.

There was a sound of someone clearing their throat. The three jumped, and turned to the doorway of the room. Kasamatsu stood, with his arms crossed over his chest, casually watching the three taller people. Behind, Takao was grinning, with his arms crossed behind his head. “Aida-san allowed us all to return back to Earth, taking the rest of the day off. Gates are opening up soon.” He looked over at Kagami. “We should let her rest more.”

Kise grabbed the girl's hands. “Aw! But I want to stay to keep Kagami-cchi company! I'll help nurse her back to perfect health!” He whined, pulling the girl's hands to his chest, like a spoiled child with his favorite toy.

Midorima glared, and ripped the blond's grip from the girl. “She won't recover with you around.” He growled. Kise turned and glared back.

“Hey, I can do fine on my own, thank you very much.” Kagami pouted. “I don't need you.” She waved her hand away, while pulling up her blanket to her chin.

“But, Kagami-cchi!”

“I won't allow you to stay here with Kagami alone.”

“Oh my gosh, Shin-chan! Your true colors are showing! So honest!”

“Shut up Takao! I'm not staying for her.”

“Well, I don't need you either.”

“Yeah! Leave us!”

“I told you, I don't need anyone here!”

Kasamatsu groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. “That's it! Everyone leave this room, save for Kagami. We're all going back to Earth now!” The eldest commanded, with narrowed eyes at the younger teens. Everyone shut their mouth, and nodded in comply. They said their good byes to the girl, especially Kise who tightly hugged the girl, while dramatically crying of being separated from the red head. Kasamatsu kicked his underclassman, saving the girl, and dragging the blond out the room.

A sigh escaped from the girl's lips, that slowly formed into a gentle smile.

 

* * *

 

The tears of happiness couldn't be stopped, as Aida tightly hugged the towering brunet male. The teen smiled softly, patting the girl's head. “It's okay now, Riko. I'm not going away anytime soon.” He gently said.

The girl pulled away, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked up, smiling widely, with her nose and eyes red. “I'm just happy we found you and got you back, Teppei. The others will be so glad too!” She chuckled, her voice still a bit shaky.

“How long-”

“A year.” Aida quickly replied, with a sad smile.

Kiyoshi slightly tilted his head to one side. “That long huh?” He furrowed his brows. “All I could remember was watching them all safely exiting the Dungeon through the portal, and then something holding me back when it was closing. The place was falling apart, and then I was met with darkness.” He took in a steady breath, letting it out slowly. “Then I wake up to this light, pulling me, and there was that girl.”

Aida smiled. “Kagami Taiga.” She said, with pride in her eyes. “She's blessing to our Clan, always doing the impossible and popping up with surprising abilities. She saved you, Teppei.” She bowed her head. “We thought we would never see you again, after the Dungeon disappeared, and you didn't come out with the rest of the Clan. But when Kagami came to us, and after observing her this whole time, I hoped that maybe... maybe she could bring you back to us.” She looked up, with a serious expression. “We especially need you with us now more than ever.”

Then Aida began to talk about all the things that Kiyoshi missed while he was trapped in a curse, in the heart of the Dungeon. The more she continued with her story, little by little the frown on the tall male grew deeper. Kiyoshi bowed his head. “I never expected for this world to change so much in a year... I can't even believe on what a big of a task that Kuroko and Kagami has taken... fighting against the Miraculous Generals.”

“But, I think there is something bigger that's going to happen.” The brunette confided, not yet having told the other older members of their Clan. “Especially when someone as precious and rare as Kagami present in OW.” She said carefully.

The towering male furrowed his brows, placing his big hands on her shoulders. “Riko, tell me what you mean.” The Leader of Etoile slowly looked up at the once lost member, a dead serious expression on her face.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko was present when he was introduced to the Etoile Clan's founding member. He recalled the happiness in their upperclassmen when the towering male came through the gates from OW, a few throwing their arms around him. They were celebrating, and welcoming Kiyoshi back. The underclassmen were introduced to him, and felt overwhelmed by his sheer size and unexpected warm personality. The upperclassmen even praised the blushing red head, who became modest that he found their lost member and brought him back to them. Kuroko couldn't help but smile at the cute expression his Light gave.

Currently, the boy sat with two of his former clansmen from Kiseki, in a family dinner. They, mostly Kise, texted him about meeting up with him. They gave him an update on what happened back in OW, especially the miracle that one red head Knight pulled. “Breaking curses that not even Clerics could easily do, unless they are masters.” Midorima spoke. He had his head slightly bowed, and arms crossed over his chest.

“And I don't think I was seeing things, but Kagami-cchi had wings for a brief moment.” Kise said, and glanced over at the green head across from him and Kuroko. “Is there such thing as an Angel Class?”

Midorima snort. “Don't be an idiot. There is no such thing.” He quickly replied, looking at the blond like he was an idiot. Kise pouted, slightly glaring at the green head.

“Angel or not, I believe that Kagami-kun could save us all.” Kuroko spoke up. “Maybe... she could unravel the truth about what happened to all of us in Kiseki Clan.”

“That will be a big task for someone like Kagami.” Midorima replied. “It will also only place him in danger, especially if the others find out about him and his abilities.” His frown deepened. “It could already be known by the other three, how you two defeated us.”

“Are you also feeling uneasy that the news could reach _him_?” Kise questioned, shivering at the thought. “Especially when he took great pride as being the undefeated Captain of the Miraculous Generals... maybe he could have been close to be like an overlord of the whole Kiseki Clan.” He furrowed his brows in remembrance.

“We just need to focus more in protecting Kagami-kun.” Kuroko looked at the two taller males. “I will need to rely on you two, especially when I cannot be there for him.”

“How can you protect Kagami, when what happened with Aomine and the majority of your Clan 'died' in the Other World with just a snap of his fingers? You practically left him on his own, vulnerable.” Midorima narrowed his eyes.

“We made a promise, remember, Kuroko-cchi? We'll fight together to save our friends, and protect Kagami-cchi.” His gaze fell to the table, picturing the red head, both as the Knight and the student. His golden eyes slightly narrowed. “Especially when Kagami-cchi has become someone important since he has save me.” He murmured softly.

Kuroko looked down, his expressions softening. “I believe in Kagami-kun, but I also do believe in my Clan.” He barely whispered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... yeah, sorry I went MIA for some time. I was busy with RL things, and studying for a very important and very difficult exam that will determine my future into adulthood... I cried after taking it, and will continue to worry until I get the results... and now I have to study for the other test that is super important and might go MIA again until July... but to get away from my anxiety, I finally finished this chapter, and half way through the next one. Hope they will satisfy you for the time being. Ahem.
> 
> Kiyoshi finally showed up! The reunion may be a disappointment, but I rushed this thing and wanted to get out important things, namely Kagami and the Generals. They're more important for this story. I really thought of bringing in Kiyoshi since the beginning, but I'm an unoriginal person, so I followed the timeline of events that coincide with the original Manga/Anime. (coughspolierscough)But things will start changing from now on (coughspoilerscough)
> 
> Kagami is a little out of characters, but come on, who won't feel the pressure of all that high expectations? At least it makes for a good relationship building between Kagami and Kise and Midorima. Heh... heh... well whatever, it's done.
> 
> What will happen next chapter? It's anyone's guess! This chapter was definitely rushed, so there are a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. I'll eventually come back through all the chapters and see if I could fix them. Hopefully the next chapter comes out by next week. (Crosses fingers)
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> Aida Riko Files  
>   
> 
>  ** _Kiyoshi Teppei_**  
>  **Class:** Knight  
>  **OW Abilities:** barriers and shields, abnormal strength and defense, earth elemental attacks, double swords  
>  **Costume Ref:** (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bb/40/91/bb40911fc657b9378d0f16d313202cdf.jpg)
> 
> “ _Special Dungeons_ ” = Appears at least once a year in Earth Time. Have a time limit, usually lasting to about 2 days in Earth time. After time limit is over, they disappear from OW, and won't reappear until another year. They have more than one Rare Artifact, and it limits each Clan to only one of those Artifacts per appearance in OW. All the Dungeons would have the same appearance, despite its Rank, and locations are random every appearance.
> 
> “ _Petrification_ ” = Very devastating curse spell that is usually hard to break, that only master Clerics are able to cure, but within an hour time frame since it was cast. Turns the victim to stone, and are considered dead to both OW and Earth if curse is not broken in time.
> 
>  **Toevallig ( _DUTCH random_ ) Clan**  
> Base of operations: Gewoon (DUTCH plain/normal) City  
> Leader: Unknown  
> Number of currently active members: 80+  
> Predominant Classes: Hunters  
> Clan Rank: V  
>  **Squad Φ (Phi), Team 2**  
>  Squad Leader: N/A  
> Team Captain: Satou Haru  
> Number of active members: 6  
> Predominant Classes: Hunters  
> Team Rank: III


	13. The Unstoppable General of Kiseki Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a very very very long one.

Pulling back the blankets, Kagami crawled into his bed, the lights out in his room. He laid down, and sighed out softly. Then his eyes slowly opened and looked out the window, where the stars were twinkling, and a small corner of the bright moon peeking in through the window. The red head frowned, his hand reaching over to clutch on to the front of his shirt, over his heart. ' _I don't like this feeling... what is it?_ '

His vision suddenly blurred, and he found himself standing in the middle of a street of a world torn, apocalyptic city, with collapsed buildings, fallen street signs, trees and poles, shattered glass, over turned cars, and broken streets. Everything was just in ruin. The sky was black with red clouds, and blood stained almost every surface of the city. There were millions of bodies scattered before him, with blood and wounds covering them. His heart raced, and he saw three familiar colorful heads among the litter of people. He shook his head, recognizing the dead faces of his Clansmen and the three Miraculous Generals, all dressed in their school uniforms, lying closer to his feet. ' _No... what... what is going on?_ ' He took a step back, his body trembling at the horrible scene.

“Too late.”

The boy spun around, and hands roughly grabbed his neck, squeezing hard. Kagami struggled to break free, and his eyes peeked up to see the offender. But all he saw was that the figure was shrouded by a raging black aura, and dark cold eyes narrowed at him. ' _I don't like this!_ ' He was starting to choke, having difficulty in breathing as his air passage became restricted.

Then the figure smirked, and a hint of white teeth peeked out. There was a malicious glint in the figure's eyes. The darkness around the figure reached forward to the red head, and Kagami was struggling. ' _No! NO!_ '

Gasping for air, Kagami shot up from his bed, in a cold sweat. He was panting hoarsely, as he looked around to find himself in his room, on his bed. Outside through his window was already bright, with rays of sun reaching inside his room. The boy leaned forward, feeling queasy. “What... the hell was that...?” He shakily whispered to himself.

 

* * *

 

With nothing else to do on the weekend, Kuroko was walking back to his house, having come from the book store with a newly bought purchase in hand. He easily dodged the pedestrians strolling down the streets. ' _I wonder how Kagami-kun is doing in the Other World._ ' His thoughts wandered, after having passed by the usually eating place that he and his partner would go and stop by. ' _Probably being his usual hot-headed self and fighting with Kise-kun and Midorima-kun. But at least Kiyoshi-sempai is there, and I trust Kasamatsu-san has been also keeping the peace among them, though I am sure he's frustrated and irritated. It does not help with Takao-kun watching and teasing them._ ' Kuroko could picture the mixed team of members from different clans. He inwardly sighed, suddenly feeling a bit of a pang in his chest. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the images and the feeling.

“Oh! Tetsu-kun!” A female voice called out.

Kuroko looked up to see the familiar pink haired female come rush towards him. She threw her arms out, and captured him into a tight embrace. “What a coincidence! What are you doing here?” She questioned, smiling with excitement upon seeing the light blue haired boy.

“I should be saying the same thing, Momoi-san.” The boy replied, just as the girl pulled back, looking up at him. Kuroko raised his purchase that was wrapped nicely in a paper bag. “I bought some new novels.”

Momoi beamed. “I came shopping with some friends from school.” She looked over her shoulder to see two girls come out of the store, and up to another girl that was waiting for them. Momoi turned back to the boy. “I'm so happy to see you...” Then her mood slowly changed, as her expression fell. “Tetsu-kun... I'm sorry...”

The light haired boy raised a brow. “For what? You didn't do anything.”

The pink haired girl bowed her head. “You should already know that I'm the Guide of the Team that Dai-chan is in... and what we did... what he did... your whole Clan...” She tightly clenched the hem of her shirt.

Kuroko closed his eyes. “It's not your fault. That is how things are in the Other World. Clans battle, and eventually one side would lose. There will always be some losses.” He said calmly.

Momoi looked back up at the boy, guilt and sadness glazing her eyes. “I'm sorry I made that promise with you... You... you don't have to-”

“I made my promise, Momoi-san, and I'll keep it.” The light blue head interrupted. “Even if it will take us years, I'll save Aomine-kun for you.” To his side, he was clutching on tightly to the paper bag her was holding. “But of course, I won't be alone...” When he opened his eyes, there was affection in them, as he stared down at the ground.

“Tetsu-kun.” The boy looked up at the serious, but worried expression from the pink haired girl. “Dai-chan is changing... and he's continuing to change. He's sinking further and further, and I know I have lost him... how... how could you ever save him now? It's too late. It will be too late, especially when you and your Clan returns to OW.” Momoi felt her chest become heavy.

Kuroko gave a gentle smile, and shook his head. “It won't be. No one is unstoppable, Momoi-san. I believe that he'll be saved.”

There was a small pause of silence between the two, and Momoi observed him closely. She returned a small smile, and closed her eyes. “I heard that Ki-chan and Midorin became temporary hired members to your Clan.” She opened her magenta eyes and looked up at the light blue haired boy.

“That's true.” The boy confirmed. “It's for a favor, and someone had to help around with the Clan when its fighters are out of commission.” He left out the part where only one member survived, and they regained a lost one. But he knew that Momoi probably knew, or will eventually find out.

“Satsuki-chan!”

The pink haired girl looked behind and saw her friends waving at her. Momoi turned back to her male friend, then hugged him. “I'll have to go Tetsu-kun. I hope to see you soon.” She released the boy, and went running to the four girls waiting for her. She looked back and waved, before walking with her friends.

Kuroko carefully watched her. ' _We'll save Aomine-kun... we have to._ '

 

* * *

 

Blades clashed, and echoed against the walls of the training room located in the headquarters of the Etoile Clan. Kagami cried out in surprise, and was pushed back, her grip on her sword loosened. The red head froze in place when the blade was directed to her long neck. Ruby eyes traced the long length of the sword to the owner, dressed in shining golden and dark metal armor. Soon the sword was pulled away, and Kagami relaxed, standing up straighter. She wiped her sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. “You're really good, Sempai.” She commented.

Kiyoshi smiled. “But, I must compliment you on how you handle such a giant heavy sword in such a short amount of time, from what I heard. You move around with ease, especially with your nearly lithe structure.”

The girl blushed, and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, but you're able to handle two long swords. When I held one, it was heavy compared to my own sword.” Kagami replied.

“But your sword is definitely the heaviest among our whole collection in the weaponry room.” The towering brunet lifted one of his swords, looking down at it. “Though, I guess, our weapons will seem light to us when they suit us best.” Kagami gave a thoughtful expression with understanding.

“Oh, I heard from Kasamatsu-san and Aida-sempai that you're one of the top Knights in OW.” The girl mentioned, grinning widely, and eyes glittering. “And that you're part of this unofficial group, or something. What was it called? The Uncrowned Generals? Considered only second to those Miraculous Generals.”

The tall brunet rubbed the back of his head. “Please, I'm not really that great, and I really don't like being associated with such fancy title.” He replied. Then lifted his sword. “All that matters to me is that I fight with my own strength to protect all those who are important and close to me, especially for this Clan.” He raised one hand, clenching it tightly to a fist.

Kagami squared her shoulders, and pressed her lips thinly. “Sempai, how can I get stronger, a better Knight, to protect all my friends?” She clutched on to her sword, recalling the events that happened when she lost her clansmen, and then the faint images of the recent nightmares. “I... want to prevent what happened to our Clan again, or to the people around me.” Her voice coming close to a whisper.

Kiyoshi smiled, and raised his hand, warmly placing it on top of Kagami's head. He slightly ruffled her hair. Kagami tried to hide her embarrassment with a scowl. “What you need to do is strengthen this.” He pulled away his hand from her head, and then pointed to her heart. Kagami blinked, and looked down to the general area on her chest.

The upperclassman then lifted his sword, and went into a stance. “Now come, show me more on what you can do, Kagami. We'll continue to train so that we'll protect our Clan together. Because we are Knights, we have the role to fight and protect.” The girl grinned, and went into a stance. Kiyoshi grinned sheepishly. “Plus, I'm still a little rusty.”

Kagami held in her retort, and just went for the attack. “Take this!”

 

* * *

 

Kuroko sighed for the fifth time that afternoon. Since school was dismissed, the boy planned to spend some time at the library before going to the 'Guild Club' room around the time Kagami, Aida, and Kiyoshi would leave to OW. Unfortunately, the library was closed for a few renovations during the week, and then he ran into Kise on his way to Maji Burger for a snack of his favorite vanilla shake. The whole time they were there was mostly spent on his former clansman complaining about a certain once lost Knight of the Etoile Clan.

The teal haired boy tried hard to read the lines of his small novel in his hand, but the slight whining from his friend beside him distracted him. The pair were heading back to Seirin High, as Kise decided that he'll cross the gates with Kagami. “And then Kiyoshi-san did this finishing move on the Guardian, and Kagami-cchi practically swooned! Can you believe that? I mean I've done cool finishing moves, but Kagami-cchi never praised me like that. Then she just rants on and on about how cool Kiyoshi-san is. Sempai this, Sempai that.” The blond groaned in despair. “Even I don't rave on and on about my Sempai, even though he's so super cool despite being super scary.”

Kuroko rolled his eyes. “Kise-kun, you are just being jealous over nothing. I understand the admiration of Kagami-kun, because they can both relate, as they are classified in the same Class in OW. And hearing stories about Kiyoshi-sempai from the others also adds on that he is a very impressive fighter, and I can also commend him for that.”

Kise pouts, giving a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest, like a child. “Please, you also get jealous yourself, Kuroko-cchi, especially whenever someone is close to Kagami-cchi.”

The shorter male narrowed his eyes, and jabbed the taller teen at his side. “Don't make false accusations about me.” He muttered lowly.

Kise cried out with pain, and clutched on to his aching side. “I was not!”

Suddenly a hard object hit the wired fence beside the blond's head, causing Kise to jump and yelp in surprise. He instantly latched on to his shorter friend, ducking behind him with slight fright. Kuroko looked up to see that they were walking beside a familiar basketball court. A recognizable tall red haired male came up to pick up the ball that hit the fence, and he stood up straight with a look of apology. “Ah, sorry there.”

“Kagami-kun.” Kuroko greeted.

Kise's head popped up at the sound of the name, and he looked up with surprise and excitement. “Kagami-cchi!”

Kagami blinked, and then his expression fell into a slight scowl. “Oh, it's just you two. What are you guys doing here?” He grumbled.

“We were passing by.” Kuroko simply replied. The red head eyed them for a moment, and then turned around, dribbling the ball.

The blond went up to the fence, his hand clutching on to the wires as he watched the red head shoot the ball into the hoop. “No way, you play basketball, Kagami-cchi?” He quickly asked, his eyes shining at the new discovery he found about the red head.

Kagami shrugged his shoulders, and caught the ball that bounced back to him. “It's a hobby.” He said casually, then did another jump shot. Kise was in awe. There were so many questions he was about to rapidly fire, but the hard nudge to his side stopped him.

“You have less than an hour left before you will have to return to school, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko spoke up, ignoring the whimpering of pain beside him.

The red head held his ball in one hand, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was thinking of eating before heading back.” He went over to where his bag and jacket sat on the floor, beside the fence. After grabbing his things, he went out the court, and was nearly ambushed by the excited blond male.

Kise threw an arm around the taller male's shoulders. “Let's go together then, and we'll keep each other company when we head to your school before going through the gates, yeah?” He didn't notice the cold glare burning holes at the back of his head.

“Sure, whatever.” Kagami casually replied. He really didn't want to argue or protest with the insistent blond. The red head turned to the other boy. “You're coming too, Kuroko?”

The light blue haired boy tore his glaring eyes from his former clansman, and looked up at his partner. “I will gladly take your invitation, Kagami-kun.” He replied with a light tone in his voice towards the tallest male. ' _Never mind that we just came from there._ '

Something caught Kise's attention from the corner of his eyes, when their little group started to head to their usual burger restaurant that Kagami favored a lot. The blond slipped his arms away from the taller male. Kagami paused, and looked over his shoulder, a bit confused by the sudden change of mood of the blond. Kise smiled, and pulled out his cell phone. “Why don't you guys go ahead first? I have some things to do first, I'll catch up!”

Kagami and Kuroko watched the blond oddly, before red head shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. See you then.” The two turned and walked away from Kise.

Slowly, Kise's mood fell when the two turned the corner and out of his sight. But then he pulled up a forcefully cheerful smile and turned his head. “Wow, never thought I'd see you around here, Aomine-cchi.” He carefully called out the name.

With a big yawn, the taller male scratched the back of his head as he walked up closer to his former clansman from Kiseki. “Kise.” The blond suddenly felt a bit guarded around the recognizable tall tanned and dark blue haired teen. He could feel goosebumps form when Aomine neared him. “I usually play around here, but this weird red head guy was already in it. Was waiting for him to leave, so I ended up watching him play around.” He shrugged his shoulders. “He wasn't even impressive.” He snorted.

“That's right... you play basketball too...” The blond murmured. He looked up at the taller teen. “Oh? Then why stay then?” Kise lightly teased.

Deep blue eyes narrowed. “What's up with you and Tetsu hanging around that guy? I don't see what's so special about him, knowing that you guys wouldn't easily associate with people that don't have your interest.” Aomine questioned in his deep, apathetic tone. “Satsuki doesn't even recognize him as part of OW.”

Golden eyes narrowed a bit threateningly, as Kise's expression uncharacteristically became cold. “Sorry, but that's none of your business.” The blond's tone lost all cheerfulness. “And it would be better if you just stayed away from him.”

Hands roughly grabbed the collar of the blond teen, and tugged him forward. Their noses inches away, and deep blue eyes darkened as it glared menacingly. “Since when have you ever tried to threaten me, Kise?” Aomine growled with a snarl. “You and I both know that you will always lose to me.” Then the blond was roughly pushed away, and the cold expression from the taller male melted away. Aomine sighed, and stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. “You're boring me.”

He turned his back to his former clansman, and began to walk away from the blond. Kise frowned, as he was fixing his school uniform, watching the back of the taller male. “If you're ever going to pull through with that threat of yours, Kise, then you know where to find me.” Aomine said without ever looking back.

Golden eyes were trained on the back of the blue haired male, as his figure slowly got smaller the further down the street he went. ' _I have a very bad feeling..._ ' Kise thought, as his frown deepened, and he tightly clenched his fists to his sides. There suddenly was a small film of darkness around his former clansman. The blond quickly shook his head, and rubbed his eyes. ' _I'm seeing things._ '

When he dropped his hand, and opened his eyes, Aomine's figure was gone from sight. ' _I just hope... we're not too late to save Aomine-cchi... if there is still even a way to save him..._ '

 

* * *

 

Takao was holding in his laugh, as he watched the two titled Miraculous Generals acting very jealous of the titled Uncrowned General. It was very obvious by their strange behavior towards the tall brunet. All the while, a certain red head was, as usual, oblivious to what was going on around her, not knowing it was because of her innocent actions that caused the two colorful haired boys to be a little hostile to the once missing Knight of Etoile.

“I'm sure Kiyoshi is fully aware of the animosity those two idiots have towards him, even though he himself acts like a carefree ignorant.” Kasamatsu muttered to the younger raven haired teen earlier, as they were following the only female through the jungle to their target Dungeon.

Currently they were in the Dungeon, going through the maze that was like the inside of a European castle, with endless halls, arched doorways, and candles lighting up the halls. Once going through a door, they would end up in a big room that either had a trial, or room filled with monsters. After going through to the next door, they wound back up into the long corridors with a medieval ambiance, and dozens of doors.

A hand grabbed Kagami's wrist, pulling her away from being sliced in half by a Warrior from the rivaling Clan. The red head hit a firm chest, and looked over see to a barrel of a long gun directed at the Warrior's heart, from over her shoulder. But then it deviated lower, and shot twice at each thigh of the male opponent. The Warrior cried out, just as the girl flinched at the bloody attack. Kagami pulled away from her savior, and glared at the tall green head. “I could have gotten him myself!” She barked angrily.

Midorima snorted, and turned his back from her, raising his guns and firing. “Honestly, you're always too reckless, and you're too much an idiot to even listen when we keep saying to focus.” The girl's blood boiled, wanting to hit the frustrating boy.

Then Kiyoshi appeared between them and the rushing Warrior from the opposing Clan. He quickly went into a defensive stance, and a big shield appeared on his left arm, blocking the attack from the Warrior. The tallest member forcefully pushed the opponent back, sending him flying to the other side. He stood up straight, and looked at the two younger fighters. “Now, now, let's not fight each other. And you need to be more careful and aware of your surroundings, Kagami.” He smiled.

Kagami stood up straight. “Ah! Sorry Sempai! I'll be sure to be more aware.” She saluted, and then rushed towards the incoming Guard. With sword in hand, she struck hard, breaking the opponent's barrier spell, and then blasting him away with her fire attack.

To the side, Midorima was scowling, and glared at the back of the taller Knight from Etoile. Then he got shot twice at his upper right arm. Midorima turned around, and glared murderously at the offender, who looked surprised at having caught the infamous Hunter off guard. The green head raised his long barreled gun with his left hand, and unleashed a volley of shots. Then he was pushed slightly, and he found that Kagami backed into him, with her arms raised, and the barrier blocking the spell from the rivaling Clan's Sorcerer.

“Who's the one that's not paying attention, now?” The girl retorted, then lowered her hands. She stood up straight and turned around towards the tall male. She sighed in irritation, and raised her hands, hovering over the open wounds on the green head's arm. A comforting warmth covered his upper arm, and the wounds closed by the white glow of the girl's hands.

Midorima jerked his arm away, and he adjusted his glasses, with a scowl on his lips. “I don't need help.”

Kagami took in a sharp breath, and glared up at the tall male. “Why you ungrateful-”

There was a chuckled, and the pair turned to see Takao grinning at them. “Geez, Shin-chan. So Tsundere.” He said teasingly.

Kise threw his arms around the red head. “Heal me too, Kagami-cchi! I got hurt!” He pointed at the bleeding wound on his side.

Midorima glared at the blond. “How about you just die?” He hissed.

“Hey!” Kasamatsu was glaring at the four younger fighter. He pointed at them with his sword. “You idiots! Stop goofing around! We are still in the middle of a battle!” He shouted, then turned around and crossed swords with the Warrior from other Clan.

Kiyoshi swung his sword, slashing down his opponent. Then he turned around and swung his other sword, taking down the in coming Guard. He smiled up at the eldest fighter among their group. “Relax, Kasamatsu-san~” He chuckled lightly. He quickly turned around, and summoned a barrier spell, bouncing the two opponents that went after him.

Kagami stomped her foot down, and blared in her red aura. “Alright, let's just finish this already!” She waved a hand, and glowing in her white aura. The five males all paused, feeling a raised barrier being cast around them, and they looked over to see the female Knight blaring in her red aura. Kagami threw her hands out wide. “Scorching Rain!” With the clap of her hands, the whole place was set into explosions, and the whole room shook violently, and lighted up with flames.

A thick cloud of smoke filled out the area, and the still standing group from Etoile were all waving their hands in front of the faces while coughing, or covering their mouth and nose. The smoke thinned, and there laid the opposing team from a different Clan, scattered on the floor, unconscious. Takao looked around. “Overkill much?” He turned to the red head, and slapped her back. “Good job, Kagami-chan!”

Kise threw his arms around the girl. “Amazing!” He cheered. Kagami scowled, trying to hide her blush from such compliments, and then struggled to detach the blond from her.

A big hand softly landed on top of the head of the girl, and Kagami looked up at her towering upperclassman. Kiyoshi smiled widely. “You did well, Kagami! It's a plus to see that you didn't 'kill' them, sparing them in the battle. How honorable of you.” He complimented.

Kagami flushed. “Er... just don't really like the idea of people... dying...” She grumbled, but gave a small smile. To the side, Kise and Midorima were giving dark looks at the taller Knight of Etoile, having cause such a cute expression on the red head. Takao turned his head, holding in his laugh at seeing the two Miraculous Generals. Kasamatsu sighed, rubbing his temple.

 

* * *

 

Doors opened, and the group entered into what looked like a big and open hall. From across, they saw a slightly raised platform, with five steps, where directly in front of them was the giant double doors, leading to their prize. There were stained glassed windows, all lined up at either side, and a big crystal chandelier hanging up high at the raised ceiling, with paint murals like some famous design back at Earth. The floors were marble, and a long red carpet went straight through, leading to the double doors.

“Well, isn't this such a grand room leading to the Heart Chamber.” Takao amusingly commented, as he walked beside the eldest member of their group. They all walked upon the red carpet, straight towards the double doors at the end of the hall. “I'm just glad we got out of those hallways. I don't think I could take anymore of seeing the same doors, and fighting in the tight spaces against monsters and the random clan members.” He sighed.

Kise was grinning, staring up at the giant crystal chandelier. “It's like a ball room.” He looked down, and turned his attention to the tall red head. “I wish I could see Kagami-cchi in a fancy gown, then we could go dancing in a really beautiful ball room.” He murmured, with a dreamy look in his eyes.

“Do you want me to punch you in the face?” The girl seethed, glaring at the blond, having heard the boy. Kise quickly ran his sempai, placing him between him at the girl. Kasamatsu berated the blond, while Kiyoshi came up to his underclassman, placing a calming hand to settle her down.

The lights suddenly flickered, and everyone quickly turned their attention when they saw a big magic circle appeared on the floor, between them and the Heart Chamber. The grounds started to tremble, and out from the magic circle rose a nearly 8 foot shadow monster. Kagami's eyes widened, her heart suddenly dropping.

“ _That... that's a summoned monster._ ” Aida shakily whispered through their mind connection.

There was an amused laugh, and the group all turned around to find a team from a rivaling Clan. Kagami felt her breath get caught at the sight of the familiar group in front of her. ' _Why now..?_ '

“You're after the Artifact too, I presume?” Kasamatsu carefully questioned out, frowning, as he observed his surroundings, while plans were being formulated on how to engage with their opponents.

Imayoshi grinned. Then his gaze fell on the familiar tall red haired female Knight. He adjusted his glasses. “Isn't this interesting? There was a survivor from the Etoile Clan.” He placed his hands on his hips, watching with amusement. “And associating herself with a mix-match group while her whole Clan is currently unavailable.”

Kagami gritted her teeth with anger, and tried to move forward to give him a piece of her mind. But Kiyoshi grabbed her upper arm, and pushed her behind him. The girl glared at the back of the taller Knight's back, feeling frustrated and confused at her sempai's actions. “Ah, then you must be the Wuqing Clan, the ones that defeated my Clan.” Kiyoshi calmly spoke.

Dark eyes narrowed at the towering brunet, then they widened in slight surprise. “My, this is unexpected, and quiet fortunate. It seems that the famous Kiyoshi Teppei has returned.” Kiyoshi minutely tensed, causing the red head behind him to furrow her brows with question. “I wonder where have you been all this time, Iron Heart of the Crown-less Generals.”

The short brunet from the Wuqing Clan looked confused. “Who?” He whispered.

“ _Kiyoshi Teppei, a well known Knight in OW of our generation. His strength and defense could have rivaled the Miraculous Generals, thus being titled a Crown-less General._ ” A female voice spoke in Sakurai's head. The brunet carefully watched the heavily armored and very tall male. “ _But it was rumored that he disappeared about a year ago. Currently he's a member of the Etoile Clan._ ”

Then attention turned to the two colorful haired males that was within the group across from them. “ _Also on record, two members from Anima Clan and Wahr Clan have been contracted as hired help for the Etoile Clan. You'll especially need to watch out for Kise Ryouta and Midorima Shintarou, two former members from Kiseki Clan, and Miraculous Generals._ ” Half the members became wary of facing the group. Imayoshi was grinning with amusement.

“I don't think that will be any problem in getting that Artifact.” The leader of the Team from Wuqing replied. He raised his whip, causing their opponent to become defensive.

“Wait.”

Kagami felt her heart drop, and her body trembled. Kise and Midorima froze, their eyes widening. Kasamatsu and Takao suddenly felt uneasy. From behind the four members from Wuqing, a tall and dark male walked through the doors, entering the chamber. Kiyoshi slightly frowned. ' _The Ace Fighter of Wuqing... the one that destroyed the whole Clan on his own..._ '

Aomine raised his chin, watching the rivaling opponents across from him and his Clan. “When I heard that two of my former Clansmen were here, I couldn't resist in coming over.” He glanced over at the two other Miraculous Generals. “Kise. Midorima.”

Golden eyes narrowed. Kise moved slightly in front of Kagami. The girl pouted, and was caught off guard when she saw also Midorima come closer to her. “Hey.” She scowled, narrowing her eyes at her two comrades.

Deep blue eyes homed on to the red haired Knight, and a brow raised. “Hoh? Tetsu's supposedly new Light is here.” Fiery red eyes instantly locked into his, and glared at Aomine. “I see. So that thing that Tetsu threw at the last minute, it was a forced escape gem.” He clicked his tongue with disinterest. “Tetsu was an idiot for pulling such move.” Kagami growled in irritation.

Kiyoshi stood up straighter, his armor causing some sound to pull everyone's attention. The brunet gave a smile. “Shall we negotiate with the Artifact, since both sides seem to be aiming for it.” He spoke out calmly. His teammates all looked at him absurdly, trying to figure out what the tallest member was planning. “Because of what happened in the past between my Clan and yours, I'm kind of leaning to the idea of not fighting with you all.”

“Sempai!?” Kagami looked up at her clansman with outrage and disbelief.

Aomine narrowed his eyes at the Knight. “That won't do.” Then his eyes looked over at the glaring red haired girl and his former clansmen. “What, you're just going to run away?” He nearly mocked.

Midorima carefully watched the blue haired male, and glanced over his other teammates. ' _Avoiding battle with Aomine is our best choice._ ' He looked over at Kise, who was gritting his teeth, while keeping his gaze at their fellow Miraculous General. ' _Even with us two against Aomine, I don't think we could stand a chance to win. Probably escape, but with severe casualties to our whole team._ ' Then emerald eyes fell upon the red haired Knight close to him. ' _And... I fear that Kagami won't be lucky this time to escape from 'death'... we can't let her be killed, especially by_ him _._ ' He turned back, observing Aomine.

Kiyoshi rubbed the back of his head, still smiling like a carefree fool. “Oh, I know it's a coward's way, but you do understand right? So, how about it? You let us go, and you can go take that Artifact. No battles.” He offered.

Imayoshi observed the tallest Knight. “Even if we agree to such terms...”

Aomine glared hard, mostly focusing his gaze towards he two fellow Generals. “There is no way I'll let you escape, especially when I've been waiting for the day to fight my former clansmen.” He tone dropped, with a chilling edge in his voice.

The bespectacled male from Wuqing smiled. “So you see, we never allowed any of our opponents go away free.” He raised his glasses higher, chuckling. “And our Ace especially has been craving for a fight.” He shrugged.

The group from Etoile tensed, and went into defensive stance. Kise shook his head, and stepped forward, throwing his hand out to the side, in front of his team. “Sorry guys, but could you leave Aomine-cchi to me, then?” He looked over his shoulder to the surprised looks on his team's expressions.

Midorima frowned. “Kise.”

The blond smiled at his former clansman. “You should know already, Midorima-cchi, that I'm the only one that has a chance to even fight equally with Aomine-cchi, one-on-one.”

Kagami gritted her teeth, then looked up at the blond, stomping down her foot. “But Kise!”

Golden eyes glanced over his current clansman, and upperclassman. Kasamatsu frowned. “ _There is one person that I want to fight and defeat with everything I got. And I can't allow anyone to interfere._ ” He recalled his underclassman telling him. The eldest fighter closed his blue eyes, and sighed. He looked up at Kiyoshi. “We have no choice but to fight them. And Kise will fight Aomine.” The three other first year high school students looked with shock at the eldest teammate. Kasamatsu looked sharply at them, and narrowed his eyes. “Kiyoshi and I can take care of the other members of the Wuqing Clan, and distract them. You three will destroy that summon, and head into the Heart Chamber, you got that? You're going to defeat the Guardian and get that Artifact!”

Kiyoshi smiled. “I agree.”

“But...” The only girl weakly protested, feeling uneasy.

The taller Knight looked down at his underclassman, and raised his hand, patting her shoulder. “Don't worry, and listen to your Sempai.”

Kagami gritted her teeth, then suddenly turned around, with her giant sword in hand. She glared up at the shadowed beast standing between her and their objective. “Let's hurry then.” She said in a low tone.

Takao sighed, and smiled, turning around as his daggers appeared in his hands. “With just us three? No problem!” Midorima adjusted his glasses, then his double long barreled guns came to his hands.

With a loud battle cry from the female Knight, Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu wasted no time in pushing the Wuqing Clan members from stopping their three younger teammates. Off to the side, gold and sapphire color eyes were locked at one another, with no attention to the battles around them. Kise took in a deep breath, and he disappeared from sight, just as Aomine did as well.

The impact from the final attack from Kagami and Midorima against the giant beast, nearly threw the two eldest members and the four fighters from Wuqing. They all turned to see the double doors open, and the three younger fighters from Etoile went running in. Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu quickly fell back, guarding the entrance from their opponents. Then they all flinched when windows shattered, and a big shock wave threw everyone in the ball room off their feet. Attention turned to the two battling Miraculous Generals, who were quickly moving around, fighting with their swords. Their movements were too fast for them to keep up, them nearly destroying the once beautiful ball room of the Dungeon.

The two males were spotted, with their blades locked, as they were both fighting to push the other forward, not giving up. The shock-wave of their power surrounding them pushed through, causing the ground below them to dip and the ground cracking underneath them, spreading out like a spiderweb. Glaring eyes were locked at one another, with Kise gritting his teeth. Soon sparks of electricity began to surround them, and then whirls of winds came around them. There was a blast of energy, and the two were blown apart from the harsh winds and volts of electricity.

Kise narrowed his eyes, and quickly ducked, barely being missed from being sliced by the giant heavy sword of the blue Warrior. Then he maneuvered, and lifted his hand with a gun, releasing a volley of bullets. Aomine raised his sword as a shield, deflecting the gunshots. He clicked his tongue, and then blared in a deep blue aura. Then harsh winds erupted from the boy, violently blowing away anything at its reach. The shattered pieces of the colorful window glass were being thrown around with debris. Kise became surrounded by his golden aura and radiated with his electrical element, deflecting the pieces.

At the end of the hall, Kiyoshi raised a barrier to protect himself and his partner, while watching the other members of the Wuqing Clan protect their faces from the flying debris. Kasamatsu frowned, glancing over at the two young males engaged in a battle of one versus one. “As usual, a battle between Miraculous Generals are a whole different level, but this is more intense than the last ones I saw.” The raven haired teen recalled the fight previous fights he had witnessed: Kuroko vs Kise, and Kise vs Midorima. Then the waves of energy suddenly paused, and the two disappeared from sight, until they heard the booming sounds of sword clashing, and some random releases of gunfire.

Kasamatsu looked up in time to see the chain whip being released towards him. He frowned, and raised his sword, only for the chain to wrap around his weapon. “You didn't forget about us, did you?” Imayoshi coyly called.

Kiyoshi grabbed the chain, and pulled hard, causing Imayoshi to slightly be tugged forward. “Of course we didn't.” The tall Knight smiled. Then he swung his left sword, effectively pushing away Wakamatsu. Kasamatsu turned around and swung his freed weapon, deflecting the arrows and thrown knives at their direction. Then he stepped aside.

From behind, Kiyoshi was glowing in a silver aura, his long double swords crossed in front of him. “Cross Slasher!” Then he unleashed the energy, as he uncrossed his swords swiftly out to his sides, and the blast of energy, in a shape of an X, started to rotate, leaving a trail on the ground. The attack hit Sakurai and Susa.

Then Kasamatsu wasted no time in releasing his own attack at the other two still remained standing. “Strike Raid!” Wakamatsu was jerked away from the line of attack, by the chain whip that wrapped around his waist. Then the team captain from Wuqing came forward, with a smirk. For every quick hit that the shorter raven haired male struck with his sword, Imayoshi seemed to deflect with his chain whip. With one last hard strike, the two team captains were pushed apart. Kasamatsu frowned, watching the grinning bespectacled male. “I forgot how a bit irritating facing you was like, Imayoshi.” Annoyance was in his tone. “That was back in the Bronze Summer Tournaments.”

“Oh yes.” Imayoshi adjusted his glasses, a light gleaming upon them. “Our Squad won against yours. Those were good times, weren't they?” He mused. The shorter raven haired teen glared at the other team captain.

Kiyoshi appeared in front of the captain from Wahr, lifting up his shield and blocking the arrows and thrown knives from Sakurai and Susa. Then he moved to swing his sword at Wakamatsu. The blond male tried to step back, but underestimated the length of the long sword, earning a long shallow cut across his chest. He held on to his badly stinging cut, and glared at the very tall Knight. Kiyoshi seemed to smile apologetically. “It's rude to interrupt conversations, isn't it?”

Imayoshi closely watched the most known Knight in OW of their generation. He struck his whip to the side, and a magic circle appeared beside him. A big black wolf, that was standing on its two hind legs appeared, and bared its sharp fangs with tongue out and drool dripping. The teen crossed his arms, and adjusted his glasses, just as the summoned monster leaped into the air, with sharp claws aimed at the two opponents.

Kasamatsu led the attack, with Kiyoshi covering him. He protected the older male from the attacks of the other members, while Kasamatsu focused on getting rid of the troublesome and feral monster.

“One of the perfect Knights in history.” Imayoshi murmured, as he watched Kiyoshi. “How troublesome for him to show up after disappearing for nearly a year. Just where have you been hiding, I wonder.”

Kiyoshi appeared behind Kasamatsu, and sliced his two swords down to his sides, hitting Susa and Wakamatsu that were rushing towards the Warrior of Wahr from either sides. Then he raised his barrier, blocking both himself and his partner from the rain of arrows. Finally, Kasamatsu used his finishing attack, and sent the summoned monster away. “This battle got very interesting.” Imayoshi mused. Then everyone flinched when there was a big explosion from across the hall, and they were all nearly swept off their feet from the blast.

 

* * *

 

Sticking to a medieval setting, the Heart Chamber was a giant and high ceiling throne room, filled with high stone pillars that came in rows as a path from the entrance leading to the giant throne where the Guardian sat, waiting for its opponents. On top of the fancy designed and golden throne floated the mystical and glowing Artifact, their target prize and ticket out of the Dungeon. The Guardian was a giant and bulky full body armor, with a long red cape hanging behind it, to add to its design. It had some points horns on its helmet and shoulder pads. And some glowing lights as eyes peeking through the two openings of the helmet. It was called Guardian Chevalier.

Since the start of their battle, Kagami did most of the attacks, battling offensively as Midorima and Takao stood behind, supporting her. It was like a Knight versus Knight battle, though the other was about 4 feet taller than the girl. “Blaze Blast!” Kagami shouted, and unleashed her fiery attack.

The Guardian tried to cut throw the attack with its double edged sword, but was hit, and it fell back. Takao grinned widely. “That's it! It's weak!” He glowed in his orange aura, and waved his hand. Glittering lights dusted upon the red haired girl, surrounding her. Then she shot up high, and she maneuvered mid air for her heels to touch the surface of the high ceiling. For a moment it was as if she was stuck on the ceiling, and she saw vines quickly rise up around the armored monster, restraining it to the ground. Kagami held her sword, and launched her self forward, as a meteor crashing on to earth. “Flame Strike!”

An explosion erupted in the chamber, and a wave of flame spread out. Takao and Midorima turned their heads, feeling the intense heat, but felt they were protected by an invisible barrier. The green head turned back, seeing the high walls of flames surrounding the giant body of the armored Guardian. It was roaring in pain through the fires. It was struggling to get up. Midorima frowned, and raised his rifle, taking aim. “End Shot.”

The shot hit its target, blowing through the head of the monster. Then it burst into black dust, destroying the Guardian of the Dungeon. The fires receded, and Kagami turned around glaring at the taller male. “What did you do that for!?” She shouted with an angry scowl. “I was going to take the last hit!”

Midorima sighed, and crossed his arms, adjusting his glasses higher. “You're just too slow.” Takao bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh as he turned his head away.

“What was that!?” Kagami raged, and started to stomp her way towards the green head.

There was a big blast from the entrance of the Heart Chamber, stopping the girl in her tracks. A big gaping hole was formed on the stone wall, and something flew across the chamber, creating holes through the pillars, and another blast followed at the other end of the Chamber. Some of the pillars that were left standing began to crumble to ruin. Half of the giant throne was caught by the blast, and collapsed. The smoked cleared in the area, and what was revealed was a deep dent on the wall, with stone and rubble scattered on the ground.

There was some movement, and out from the debris popped out a hand. Kagami widened her eyes, and ran to the end of the Chamber. “Kise!”

The blond's head became revealed, and he started to dig himself free. He looked up and saw the girl running towards him. His golden eyes widened. “No don't!” He shouted in warning, and within a blink of an eye, Aomine appeared in front of the blond, both their swords crossed. The impact shattered the larger debris, freeing Kise. The blond gritted his teeth, trying to push back.

Kagami stood still watching the intense scene. Her breath was caught when slowly a dark film exuded from the blue haired boy. Kise grimaced, and felt himself get pushed against the stone wall behind him. “You've changed, Aomine-cchi...” There was remorse behind his golden eyes, as he carefully watching his old friend and former clansmen.

Aomine narrowed his eyes, frowning at the emotions behind the blond's gaze. “You've just grown weaker, Kise.” Then harsh winds surrounded the taller male, and became dyed with darkness. “Wind Blades.” Then the sharp winds surrounded Kise, and started to hug tightly against him. He cried out, when visible cuts started to decorate his body.

“Kise!” Kagami shouted.

A strong hand pulled on the red head's upper arm, preventing her from trying to reach the blond male. Kagami jerked her head to look over her shoulder, glaring at the perpetrator. Midorima pulled Kagami back, and then pushed her far back, shocking the red head. The green head then glared at his fellow clansman. “Takao, restrain her! I don't care what spell, but don't let her interfere!” He nearly shouted at the raven haired boy.

Takao slightly jumped at the harsh demand, and quickly turned around to the red haired girl that began to scramble up from the ground. “Sorry, Kagami-chan!” He glowed in his orange aura, and waved his hand. “Paralyze!” Then he waved his hand into a different direction. “Contain!”

Two magic circles appeared below the girl, overlaying on one another. A dome formed around the girl, and then she felt she couldn't move, her whole body tingling. She looked up and glared hard at Takao, but then turned it to Midorima. “What the hell!? Why!?” She shouted, as she gritted her teeth.

The green haired boy didn't reply, and just walked forward, with a rifle in hand. He lifted it up, and took aim. Then fired a shot. It hit its target, on the shoulder of Aomine. The blue head looked over his shoulder and glared. Kise fell to the floor, on his knees, panting. He raised his head, and weakly pouted towards his other former clansman. “I don't need your help! I can't still fight without you!” He protested. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and pushed himself up to stand from the floor.

“What's this? Going to team up now? Since when had the great Miraculous Generals even decided to team up with one another?” Aomine growled with displeasure. Then he snorted, and shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever. Fine by me. But even with you two, you guys still believe you can defeat me?”

Midorima grunted, and reached his hand to adjust his glasses. “As if I'm willing to help someone like him.” He ignored the small remark from the blond male. “Because we are called the Miraculous Generals, and that we have separated since Kiseki Clan was disbanded, us Generals were bound to run into one another and battle against each other. And according to Oha-Asa, Cancers will encounter unresolved past issues that shall be settled today.”

Takao slapped a hand over his mouth, holding in his laugh. He watched as The three Miraculous Generals began to engage in a new battle, where Kise and Midorima, despite the green head's denial, were helping each other, working as a team. But Aomine seems to be fairing well against the two. Kise was able to get back up to his feet, and his wounds healed thanks to Midorima, though there was some protests and begrudging gratitude. The whole chamber would tremble by the sheer power the three teens would display, causing some rubble and dust to sprinkle down from the ceiling.

Takao shielded his face from the dust, and then glanced over at the state that Kagami was in, stuck in his magic circle that paralyzed her, and then the dome surrounding her that contained her. He could see her struggling to move. ' _Sooner or later, I would bet that the paralysis spell will be ineffective on Kagami... Like almost all other binding spells I've seen cast on her._ ' His gaze softened. “Sorry Kagami-chan, but you need to realize that there are many that don't want to see you get hurt... especially at a time like this against the Wuqing Clan.” Takao said, tearing his gaze away from the red head.

Kagami gritted her teeth, and then struggled with turning her head. She saw beyond the double door entrance their two elder teammates. She furrowed her brows when Kiyoshi's defense seemed to have broke and Kasamatsu was receiving more injuries, as the four members of Wuqing were becoming more and more aggressive. She slightly widened her eyes to see the small film of darkness surrounding each member. “Takao.” The raven haired boy turned to the girl. “You need to help the Sempai.” The boy turned his head and saw the same thing that Kagami did. His slate blue eyes widened. “Please.”

Takao turned to the girl. “Look, the containment spell is to keep you in and everything out. Please don't do anything drastic, Kagami-chan.” He told her. The red head scowled, but kept silent. The boy moved to face the entrance of the Heart Chamber, with his back to the girl. He glowed in his aura, and started to cast his spells to help his comrades. ' _That darkness... it couldn't be that they've had it all along. Could it be the influence of Aomine Daiki?_ ' He frowned. ' _This is really bad... if the whole of Etoile was easily defeated, what's to say that only us 6 could win?_ ' Takao shook his head. ' _No, I can't think that way._ ' From the corner of his eye, he saw Kagami minutely move through the paralysis spell. Her fingers were flexing, and she was shifting her legs beneath her. ' _It's because of her stubbornness... I feel that something will happen... who knows if it's good or bad. I hope it's something good._ '

Daring to look behind him, Takao saw Kise and Midorima being swept up by the dark winds, and be tossed against a stone pillar. Then vines and blasts of electricity were thrown at a spot. There was an explosion upon impact, but through the cloud of dust, a dark figure leaped out. There around the blue haired male was a dark aura that was radiating thickly around him. Takao shivered at the sight. ' _Please let it be something good that happens._ '

Kagami was able to bend her elbow, and she grinned with accomplishment. She lifted her hand and wiggled them, having feeling returned to them. She didn't notice that one of the magic circles shattered beneath her, as she crawled up to the invisible wall that blocked her from moving any further from her spot. She looked up and saw everyone in her team not fairing well. Her heart clenched at the sight, their haggard forms littered in injuries. But their eyes were still shining and narrowed with determination. She bowed her head, gritting her teeth. “Please Takao, let me out. I need to help them!” She nearly begged desperately, looking up at the raven haired boy that was close to her, with pleading eyes.

“I can't do that.” Takao was also gritting his teeth, as he watched his comrades. “Everyone here has to protect you.”

“Why!? I don't understand!” Kagami shouted in frustration, pounding against the invisible wall that contained her. There was a gasp, and the red head looked up to see Takao dash to help out Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu. There was an explosion, and the girl turned to see Kise and Midorima being tossed around, while Aomine was grinning with malicious amusement. Then she heard cries of pain, and she looked over to see Kiyoshi get knocked down with his shield shattered, and Kasamatsu and Takao get trapped under a rain of carious blades thrown at them.

Shaking her head, Kagami tightly closed her eyes, her heart no longer taking the sight and sounds around her. “No!” Then she started to pound against the containment spell. ' _I need to help them!_ ' Then she curled a fist tightly, and punched forward with her knuckles hitting against the invisible wall. There was a crack that formed.

Kiyoshi got up on one knee, and quickly summoned a barrier around him and his allies, preventing the attacks from the three more active members in the Wuqing Clan, excluding the Miraculous General that was part of their team. The tall brunet took one glance at the four opponents, and mostly locked on Imayoshi, who was standing with his arms crossed, grinning widely. His expression seemed to distort due to the darkness surrounding him and his teammates. Kiyoshi shook his head, and looked over into the Heart Chamber. It was all in ruins, with a lot of debris scattered on the marble ground, dents and holes on the walls, ceilings and floors. At the end of the Chamber floated the Artifact, untouched and still sparkling with magic. His eyes fell on the magical dome that held in his clansman, and his eyes slightly widened at the cracks that grew, formed from the continuous punches from the female Knight. She was lightly glowing in a white aura.

The tall Knight blinked when he felt something warm blanket him, and saw some white glittering lights surround him. Takao and Kasamatsu looked surprised too, getting up from the floor. Kiyoshi raised his hand, and flexed his fingers. “My energy... returned?”

Takao got up, and rolled his shoulders. Kasamatsu followed, and looked down upon himself, patting his sides and torso. “All our wounds seemed to be healed.” He commented.

The shorter raven haired boy grinned. “Yeah! And I feel like we can stop these guys!” He seemed to have a small bounce in his stance, switching from one foot to the other.

Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes, watching the red haired girl. “ _Kagami-kun is special, and we can't afford to lose her. There will be many that will come after her, that's why we have to protect her at all cost._ ” Aida's words rang at the back of his head. The Knight took in a deep breath, tightly clenching his fists. The towering boy began to glow in a silver light. When his eyes shot open, he raised his right arm, and his shield appeared. “Barrier Attack!” He rushed forward, knocking the four Wuqing members off their feet, and far, about more than halfway across the ball room. Then he raised both hands up to the ceiling, and a big wall of the ground rose, deviding the room and separating both Clans. “Great Wall!” A magic circle appeared on the ground wall, and then there were several sharp sounds of several barriers rising. There were flashes of light, before the barriers became invisible.

Kasamatsu and Takao watched with surprise. “Well, why haven't you done that in the first place?” The youngest questioned, with his mouth still gaping in shock.

Etoile's Knight turned to the two, and raised his hand behind his head. He gave an awkward laugh. “Well, honestly that was kind of new and just came to me.” Kiyoshi replied. The eldest shook his head, sighing. Then all turned their heads when they heard something like shattering glass close by them. They found Kagami free from the containment spell, and she went running into the middle of the battle against the Miraculous Generals.

The red head narrowed her eyes, and her sword came into her hands. She threw it with all her might at the blue head, cutting him off from using his spell, and forcing him to dodge the fly weapon. Kagami then landed in front of Midorima and Kise, throwing her hands out. A barrier was raised, and the dark wind attack hit against it. The girl gritted her teeth, pushing against the force of the attack. Midorima glared at the girl. “You idiot!” He shouted.

“Yeah, yeah, thank me later for saving your ass!” The wind spell ended, and Kagami dropped her arms down to her sides, panting. She raised her head, and glared at the boy radiating in a dark aura. Her sword appeared back in her hands, and she went into a stance.

Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Looks like I'll have to get rid of you first.”

Golden eyes widened, and Kise grabbed the girl's shoulder, pulling her back. “Kagami-cchi!” The red head looked over to glare at the boy. “Quickly, let's do our spell!” He nearly cried out desperately.

Without another word, the two took each other's hands, and blared in their respective auras of gold and white. The magic circle appeared below them and spread out, reaching Aomine. When they stood, Kise behind the girl, and their right hands stretched out towards their opponent, they both unleashed their attack. “Electric Inferno!”

The electrifying fiery attack hit the spot that Aomine was. The chamber shook violently, and flames and currents of electricity spread out, pushing away the debris gathered in the area.

Midorima lowered his arm, having blocked away the intense heat and light from his face. He looked around through the smoke with narrowed eyes. He saw Kise and Kagami standing next to each other, with the blond slightly hunched over and panting slowly. Then the smoke cleared from where Aomine stood, and they saw the still standing figure. He was also slightly bent over, with some of his clothes burnt off, and sparse freshly made wounds.

The blue head grunted, and looked up at his two former clansmen and the female Knight. “And here I thought Tetsu and that girl were the only ones that could do such a thing. I'll admit, I was kind of caught off guard.” He climbed a small pile of debris, coming closer to them. They all went into defensive stances, narrowing their eyes towards him. Dark blue eyes locked on upon the golden haired male. “I see. I understand your pitiable threats, Kise. You're fighting so hard to fight for this chick.” He sighed, and shook his head. “You're a real idiot, Kise. And that's what makes you so weak... just like Tetsu.” He muttered the last words in a low voice. Then he suddenly disappeared.

The three tensed up, gripping their weapons in their hands. Kagami gasped when she felt Aomine suddenly appear behind her. But then she was pushed away, and she turned her head to see Aomine's big sword go through him. Her eyes widened in horror, as the image seemed to blend with the image of the same scene with Kuroko. ' _N-no..._ '

Aomine started to laugh, looking down at Kise, caught in his sword like a kabob. He turned to the red head. “That's a lovely expression!” He grinned maniacally, his dark aura swirling. Then he threw out his hand at the direction at the other three members of their team, and the dark wind swirled around them, and picked them up into a ball of wind. “More! I want to see more of your despair!” He shouted, and pulled out the sword. Kise dropped to the ground, choking, and nearly curling up in immense pain. Blood was pooling around him.

“No!” The red head shouted, and blared in a red aura.

Midorima, who some how dodged the wind spell, looked up sharply at the girl. “Don't, Kagami!” He warned, but the girl didn't listen. She already went for the attack with her own sword. He clicked his tongue, but then tore his eyes away from the two. He looked down at his bleed former clansman, and quickly went up to him. He placed his hands over the bloody mess, and it began to glow. The wound started to slowly close. He glanced up to see Kasamatsu, Kiyoshi and Takao trapped in the wind sphere. They all hand their hands around their throats and over their mouths. ' _The spell that would slowly take away all the air in the lungs, killing the opponents..._ '

A hand grabbed the bespectacled male's wrist, pulling his attention. The green head looked in to the painful desperation across Kise's face. “Midorima-cchi, you have to protect Kagami-cchi!” He begged, while gritting his teeth, still feeling weak as repercussion of the gaping stab.

Midorima adjusted his glasses, and then stood up. He raised his head, seeing Kagami swing around her sword, while Aomine swiftly dodged. There was pure rage in the girl's expression, while the blue head was grinning maniacally, as if just toying with her. Midorima sighed. “You're an idiot if you believe I wouldn't.” He muttered. His twin long barreled guns appeared in his hands, and he went into a stance. He narrowed his eyes, and pulled the triggers. “Scattered Shot.”

The two gunshots were released, then it burst into multiple bullets all aimed at the blue haired boy. Aomine raised his head, and quickly leaped away. Kagami stepped back, and watched when the bullets hit the calf and upper arm of the blue head. She sharply turned her head, and scowled at the bespectacled male. She huffed without a word, and turned back to her opponent. She rushed at Aomine, and took the chance to strike after the dark male was hit on his thigh by a bullet. “Flame Strike!”

Aomine quickly raised his giant sword as a shield, but the force pushed him away at a distance. He clicked his tongue with annoyance, and glared at his former clansman. “What's this? Do you also think highly of this chick, like Tetsu and Kise!?”

Midorima switched his guns out, and his rifle appeared in his hands. He went into a stance, and took aim. “Today ranked Cancer the highest in Oha-Asa. That means I won't miss any of my shots.” He fired, and his Aomine at his upper left arm.

Then the boy swiftly moved aside, dodging the giant sword attack from the female Knight. Aomine's eyes glanced over the girl's head, and then back at the red head. He grinned. “Time is running out.”

Kagami widened her eyes, and looked over her shoulder. Within the wind sphere, it looked like Takao was motionless, and Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu's struggles have grown weaker. The girl turned back her attention to her opponent, only to see the giant sword lunging straight at her. The girl lifted her hands, and the sword his her sword. Kagami was pushed all the way across the room, slamming against the stone wall, creating a dent. The girl coughed for air, and gritted her teeth through the pain.

“Kagami.” The red head looked up to see Midorima kneeling close to her, looking over her. “You need to calm down to think things through more clearly.” He berated her. “I understand that you're desperate to save your friends, but formulating a plan could prevent death to either you or the others.”

The red head clenched her jaw, but then relaxed, and looked up at the green head. “Then what do you propose we do. We're running out of time.” She glanced over at the wind sphere. Then she turned to see Aomine slowly stalking towards them, while dragging his giant sword that was grinding against the ground, creating tiny sparks.

Midorima stood up and offered out his hand to the girl. “Then you'll listen to me?”

Kagami stared at the hand, and slowly she felt her heart beat loudly between her ears. She looked straight up into Midorima's emerald green eyes. There was something in her eyes that caused the boy to shiver, but out of unexplained excitement. “How about... you trust in me?” She murmured, only for the bespectacled male to hear. The girl reached out and took Midorima's hand.

It was like there was a pulse that came from the connection between the two. Kagami was helped to stand, and she moved to stand in front of the green haired boy. The two became surrounded by their respective colored auras of white and green, that then blared out and raged out around them, mix into one another. A magic circle appeared below them, then spread out, catching Aomine within its radius. The two both raised their left arms towards their target, and shouted out in sync. “Blossom Wildfire!”

A burst of red petals surrounded the whole chamber, floating in the air with mystical beauty. Then they began to swirl around, and started to gather around Aomine. The boy looked around in confusion, stepping back to get away from the flurry of petals. When several stuck on to him, they flamed up, and were burning away, until an explosion followed. Then more and more started to attach to the boy, even though he was trying to thrash around to get them off. They one by one ignited with flames and then exploded. Multiple explosions followed, pushing the boy higher and higher in the air, until it became like a ball of light, with explosions setting off after another like fireworks.

When it was over, something plummeted down to the ground, just as Takao, Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu were released from the wind sphere. They were dropped on to the ground, desperately gasping for air. Kise was sitting up after witnessing such a surprising scene. He looked over to where Midorima and Kagami were. Midorima had a hand on one of the debris, keeping himself upright, while slightly panting. Kagami had a hand on her knee, as she was slightly bent forward, also panting from exhaustion. “They... did a merged spell together...” He whispered to himself, and weakly stood up, with the help of the ruined pillar close to him. He made his way towards the pair.

“ **Tornado Blast!** ”

Kagami felt her breath forcefully escape from her lungs, as she was slammed against the hard stone walls by the blast of powerful dark winds. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked towards the heaviness partly covering her. Kise and Midorima were half way over her, on either side, as if they were trying to protect her. But the raging winds were pushing them, pinning them to the wall, disabling them from moving. The solid wall under them was giving in, causing the trio to sink deeper into the stone wall. Kagami saw the pains in their scrunched up faces, but they were still pushing through with some fight left in them, protecting her.

Unconsciously, her hands clutched on to a part of the clothes of the two Generals pressed up against her. ' _No..._ ' She tightly closed her eyes, and saw flashes of the horrified defeat in the expressions of all her clansmen in Etoile, before the met their demise. _'We were supposed to win together... We just can't..._ ' The last face was the anguished and excruciating smile she last saw on Kuroko's face, that had unshed tears building in his wide light blue eyes. ' _No! I don't want to let anyone die anymore!_ ' Kagami's mind shouted, before her vision was blinded into darkness, and her ears deafened from sound.

 

* * *

 

The doors to the 'Guild Club' room opened, and the group of second year students that appeared at the entrance were surprised to see three familiar freshmen already inside. “You guys are here.” Hyuuga stated, as he walked in with his other friends.

The freshman trio, Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara looked at one another, before the smallest out of the three of them looked up at their Sempai and replied. “Well, we thought we could show our support to our Clan by welcoming them back.” Furihata shyly scratched his nose with a smile.

Koganei chuckled. “We thought the same thing too!” Then he dumped a plastic bag of food that they all bought from the convenient store close by, to the pile that the freshman seemed to also brought.

“I wonder if Kuroko would be coming too.” Izuki thought out loud.

“I've been here the whole time.” A voice spoke. The group all jumped in surprise, and looked to one of the chairs in the room, sitting close to the window. Indeed the light haired boy was there, with a novel in hand.

Hyuuga sighed, settling his racing heart. He shook his head. Everyone then got settled, some taking out their homework, while others began talking of shared topics among friends. Kuroko frowned, and put down his novel. He looked out the window, furrowing his brows. “Something... doesn't feel right.”

The bespectacled second year overheard the younger boy. “Then you also have this unsettling feeling.” He stated, and saw the expressions of the others also feeling the same way.

Suddenly on the empty wall, a door of light appeared, and everyone stared at it in surprise and confusion. “What?”

Kuroko abruptly stood up from his seat, the chair being knocked down. They all watched the boy. “Kagami-kun... he's calling...” The light haired boy wasted no time, and quickly went through the light.

“Wait! Kuroko!” The others quickly scrambled up and rushed into the light after the smallest male.

 

* * *

 

The blinding light receded from the area. “Hyuuga! Everyone?” A familiar voice shouted out with surprise and confusion. Kuroko, and the big group that also followed behind him, and looked to the side, finding that not so far from them was a towering Knight, the familiar captain from Wahr, and the partner of one of the Miraculous Generals from Anima. They were all standing before the entrance to the Heart Chamber, where it was all just in ruined chaos inside.

Midorima and Kise both turned their heads, and caught Kagami before she fell to the ground. The white aura around her died down, and she was hoarsely panting for air. They looked at one another, then back down to the girl. “Don't tell me...” Midorima became lost with words.

“Kagami-cchi... you summoned them all here?” He barely whispered.

Aomine started to laugh out loud, holding on to his stomach. “I can't believe! It doesn't matter how many people keep coming, you all just won't ever win!” He turned his cold eyes at the red head, then pointed out towards her. “You just brought them back so that they could all die again by my hands! And this time, I won't leave anyone out.” He growled, and his dark aura grew up wider.

Kagami pushed by the two tall males, and narrowed her eyes at the blue head. “You're not going to kill anyone, I won't allow it!” She shouted out defiantly. Her sword appeared in her hand, and she pointed it towards the boy. “We will win this battle!”

There was a sudden explosion behind the big group. Kiyoshi, Kasamatsu and Takao looked surprised when the giant wall, created from the ground, crumbled down. It revealed four angry males, radiating with a darker aura than before. Before them stood a giant shadow monster that the Wuqing Clan's Tamer most likely summoned.

Aomine turned his cold eyes towards his current clansmen. “What the hell are you all doing? Take care of them!” He pointed at the big group, mostly all from Etoile, that gathered at the entrance of the Heart Chamber. The blue head turned to the trio consisting of the female Knight and his two former clansmen. “These guys are my prey.” He said coldly, and then his giant sword appeared in his hands.

Imayoshi grinned. “Oh, what a surprise, a grand reunion.” Then his expression twisted with malice. “What a waste. No one is going to leave here alive.” The monster did a supersonic scream, shattering the layers of barriers that Kiyoshi cast. Then the big group were swept off their feet by the sound waves.

Aomine quickly goes for the strike, but then a wall of shadow appeared before him, hindering his line of attack. He leaped back, avoiding being caught by the shadows reaching out for him. When he was at a further distance from his targets, he quickly looked up with glaring eyes. “Tetsu.” He growled.

There stood the familiar lighter blue haired boy, with his blank gaze that seemed to bore through the soul. Kagami and Kise gasped. “Kuroko!” “Kuroko-cchi!” They both cried out in surprise.

The smallest boy stood his ground, with daggers in hand. “Sorry, Aomine-kun, but as Kagami said before, we won't allow you to win, not this time.” He spoke. Dark blue eyes narrowed. “No body gets away from defeating our Clan, Etoile.”

There were explosions, and they saw at the adjacent room that the Etoile Clan and their two additional help were fighting well against the four Wuqing Clan members. They already brought down the summoned monster, forcing the rivaling Tamer to summon more. They were all pushing back, with determination, and the drive for retribution for their 'deaths'. Then more explosions followed from the impact of the attacks.

“I especially can't allow you, Aomine-kun, to touch Our Light.” Kuroko continued, with narrowed eyes. Behind, Midorima bowed his head and adjusted his glasses, hiding his small grin. Kise smirked, and his eyes glittered at such declaration from the light blue haired boy.

Cold sapphire blue eyes locked on to the red haired Knight, and they began to bleed into black. Anger was boil within the darker blue haired male. “That chick with a big rack is nothing special, except for just that, her boobs!” He shouted. Kagami's eyes twitched. “She's just a weakness to all of you, and I'll prove it by getting rid of her for you!” His sword appeared in his hands, and he pointed it at the four. “Then I'll get rid of the rest of you. There is no need for weak minded fighters like you anymore.” Four sets of glares were directed at him, anger also building up in them.

Kagami's sword materialized into her hands, and she tightly gripped the handle, as she scowled. “I'll show you what this chick can do!” She was about to rush forward, but her scarf around her neck was tugged at both ends, nearly choking her, but successfully stopping her. She seethed, and glared murderously over her shoulder at Kise and Midorima.

The green head ignored the girl, and glanced over at both Kuroko and Kise. “There is nothing we could do for Aomine anymore.” He told them, seeing the raging dark aura, and the no longer blue eyes of their fellow Miraculous General.

Regret and remorse built behind the eyes of the three former clansmen from Kiseki. Kuroko tore his gaze away, and bowed his head. “All we can do to save him... is to 'kill' him.” He said softly, though the other three heard him.

Kagami closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the emotions radiating from the three that surrounded her. The grip on her sword slightly relaxed, and she slowly opened her eyes. They were no longer a bright ruby red, but a vacant silver. She took in a deep breath, then slowly released it, as she started to glow in her white aura. No one seemed to notice or pay attention to the white glittering lights raining upon them.

As if a silent signal went off, Kuroko disappeared in a blink of an eye. Kise and Kagami started running forward with swords in their hands. Behind them, Midorima lifted up his long rifle, then pulled the trigger. Aomine quickly raised his sword to deflect the bullet from hitting his head. Then he moved slightly to dodge the knives that were thrown from all around him. Some were able to graze him, like some of the other bullets that missed his vital areas. When he heard twin battle cries, he turned his head, and raised his sword to block the sword attacks from Kise and Kagami from above him. They started to struggle to out strength one another.

Then vines shot out from under the dark blue haired boy. Aomine leaped away, pushing back the red head and blond. Then shadows, fires and electricity started to chase after him. He glared, and waved his hand. “Tornado Blast!” The elemental attacks all mixed, and caused an explosion.

From the smoke, Kagami lunged at the boy, and took a swing. Aomine flexibly bent backwards, missing the blade. But then Kise appeared, and swung down at his torso, hitting him, and slamming him to the ground. Angered, the dark aura blared out ferociously, with dark winds blowing out at all directions. The two leaped back from the harsh winds. He got up back to his feet, and lunged towards the blond and red head. “Gust Slash!”

The pair quickly raised their hands up. “Reflection Barrier!” “Shield!” The giant blade hit against the barriers, as sharp and dangerous winds pelted and slammed against the protection spells. But then the attack was interrupted as gun shots and knives began to be thrown at the tall dark teen.

Aomine waved his hand, deflecting the shots and knives from hitting him with his winds. Then he leaped up from being slashed by the red head, and then parried with his sword against the blond.

To the side, the long ranged fighters, all standing at the middle of the entrance of the Heart Chamber, seemed to glance back to the intense fight going on against the four Miraculous Generals and the extraordinary female Knight. “Not only Kagami, but all of them seem to be dancing.” Hyuuga mused, mostly to himself. He looked back in front of him, and released a volley of shots, especially to counter the rain of arrows from the enemy Hunter.

“Yeah, compared to the more vicious and animalistic way of that Aomine Daiki.” Takao shivered. He waved a hand, and cast a paralysis spell on Wakamatsu. Tsuchida, Koganei and Mitobe rushed towards the Wuqing Brawler.

“No, but you can see it, they're all surrounded by that white aura that Kagami seems to emit.” Izuki noted. “And... Kagami's eyes have changed.” The spectators recalled all the other battles that the red haired Knight fought with a Miraculous General, and her changes.

Kise and Kagami blocked the wind attack from Aomine, and were pushing to keep it up. From either sides, Midorima and Kuroko dashed towards the dark blue haired boy, needles in the green haired Hunter's, and daggers in the Assassin's hands. They started to fight their opponent in close range, and were moving around fluidly. Aomine was swinging wildly his sword at them, but they seem to move away from behind hit. He was snarling in frustration.

Suddenly Kagami and Kise appeared behind him, and struck him hard at the same time, throwing him across the room. The boy was rolling and dragging along the floor, leaving a trail. When he stopped, barely hitting the wall, Aomine pushed himself up to stand, ignoring his wounds. He was seething. Then below his feet was a brightly glowing magic circle. He looked up to see Midorima behind Kagami, both blaring in green and white lights. “Blossom Wildfire!”

Aomine cried out, being pelted by exploding flower petals. The boy roared, and cut through before the attack finished. He was haphazardly dropped to the ground, shakily on his feet, but then another magic circle appeared below him. Kise and Kagami were standing back to back, glowing in gold and white. “Electric Inferno!”

The fiery electrical attack was unleashed, covering the whole side of the chamber where the dark blue haired boy stood. When it ended, Aomine continued to stand, with his sword impaled to the ground and used as a crutch. He was glaring hard, despite the multiple wounds from two strong attacks. A magic circle reached out underneath him. His shakily looked up, and saw Kuroko and Kagami standing in front of each other, with their hands out stretched towards him. ' _That's enough already, Aomine-kun..._ ' The teal eyes bore deeply into the unfamiliar black eyes of his former clansman. “Shadow Flare!”

There was a big explosion and everyone turned their heads away when a big shock wave pushed out smoke and dust. Kuroko and the other two Generals slowly looked up watching as the smoke thinned out. They were a little surprised to see the deep crater on the ground.

At the center of the crater laid Aomine, who was on his back. Behind him was a brightly glowing magic circle that seemed to have caught him, with his arms and legs spread out and trapped by invisible bindings to the magic circle. He was struggling like a rabid animal, while snarling, despite his deep injuries. There appeared Kagami, having walked up over the boy, legs at either side of the boy's waist, as she looked down at Aomine. In her hands was her intricately beautiful white gold rapier. Her arms were raised above her head, and the tip of the blade pointed down at the feral male.

In one swift movement, Kagami plunged her rapier down, directly at the center of Aomine's heart, crouching over the boy with one knee bent. The male started to violently flail, and there were sounds of cracking, as the magic circle's glow started to flicker. The boy was loudly crying out in agony, as he struggled to get the girl off of him, and get free. But the girl fought hard to push down the rapier all the way into the boy's heart, having moved to straddle him down. Darkness was rushing out from the spot that the blade struck, pushing against the red haired Knight. Kagami then moved to put her body weight directly over her rapier, and straight down at Aomine's heart. More and more of the darkness was rushing out, gathering like a forming tornado at the high ceilings of the Heart Chamber.

Imayoshi and his other Clan members started to get weak, falling to their knees. The darkness surrounding them was slowly shrinking, as a trail was being pulled to the gathering darkness in the Heart Chamber ceiling. Everyone else that were witnessing such scene were all pushing through the harsh winds that were trying to throw them off their feet. They all felt some kind of pressure building up, as it was like they were suffocating, and their bodies were shivering by the intense coldness that surrounded them.

Kuroko and the two taller Generals were sticking together to prevent from being blown away. “All this can't be the darkness that Aomine-cchi carried for 3 years!” Kise shouted in disbelief. Kuroko watched with a grim expression, his heart aching at the cries from his former Clansman, and the sight of struggles below. ' _Kagami-kun... Aomine-kun..._ '

Finally, the rapier pushed through to the hilt against Aomine's chest, Kagami's head just parallel to the boy below him. Then a big rush of darkness burst out, pushing around the girl to gather more to the ceiling. The girl held on, as Aomine shouted in an almost strangled cry. Then it all came out, and the boy fell unconscious. The rapier burst into glittering lights, and left the girl hunched over, slightly panting.

Kagami slowly sat up, and raised her chin to look at the darkness gathered above, swirling dangerously. Then she threw out her arms wide, and the darkness plunged down into her chest. The crater that she and the Ace of Wuqing were in sank more from the impact. When the darkness was no longer lingering in the chamber, Kagami quickly wrapped her arms around her, and curled up, clutching her sides. Her forehead pressed hard against the chest of the boy blow her, and she started to grit her teeth, holding in her cries from the immense pain. Soon after wings tore through her back, spreading out, before disappearing in just mere milliseconds.

The whole chamber was littered with glowing feathers that fell like snow all around them. Some reached out their hands to catch a feather, that would disappear and left a comforting warmth through their bodies.

After a few moments of stillness, Kagami slowly pushed her self up, both hands on either side of Aomine's head, seeing his unconscious and peaceful expression. “Don't worry. I'm here now.” She murmured, then leaned down, and their lips met.

Slowly hands were raised, and wrapped around the girl's waist and back of the neck, pulling the girl closer. Then their positions switched, as they rolled, and the boy was now above the girl. Aomine blinked his eyes open, and pushed himself up, to find the beautiful red head underneath him. He stared, a bit confused, but there was a light dust of a blush on his cheeks at seeing the sight of the girl and their compromising position.

“Honestly, I didn't want to believe it, but now that I witnessed it...” A dark voice hissed coldly

“To think this is your true nature, Aomine-kun.” Another cold voice spoke.

“That was low, Aomine-cchi... and to someone so pure. Unforgivable.” The last voice sent more shivers down the boy's spine.

Aomine froze in place, and dared to look over his shoulder.

It was said that his screams could be heard even outside of the Dungeon and within a 100 mile radius from the area.

 

* * *

 

Face nearly unrecognizable, with giant bruises and cuts decorating it, Aomine stood outside, upon the spot where the Dungeon once stood. All members were present, the whole Etoile Clan, the Team from Wuqing, the pair from Wahr and the other pair from Anima. To the side, the three Miraculous Generals were glaring at the badly beaten former clansman. No one bothered to heal him, especially after the Etoile Clan won the Artifact and they were all transported outside.

Aida, the leader of the Etoile Clan, phased into the scene, carefully watching the Team from Wuqing Clan. She recognized the confusion among all five members, and they all did voice that they didn't remember anything since they entered into the special Dungeon. “And it's strange, feel kind of lighter than before.” Imayoshi expressed, while patting his chest.

The brunette crossed her arms, and stared at the leader of the Team. “Bring out your Guide. I need to discuss some important matters.” Aida demanded, narrowing her eyes.

Then at a spot close to the Wuqing Clan, a female appeared, and most of the males reacted at such a sight. A pink haired girl in rather tight fitting, and some revealing outfit appeared. She beamed, and saluted. “Hello!”

“Momoi-san.” “Momoi-cchi!” Two of the former Kiseki Clan members called out of recognition. The pink haired girl turned around, and gasped, throwing her arms around the shortest male. “Tetsu-kun!”

Aida scowled, and glared coldly at her Clan members that were blushing. They all froze in place with dread from their leader. The older girl turned around, clearing her throat. But was surprised when the girl released Kuroko, then punched Aomine right in the gut. “Serves you right!” The darker blue haired male grunted in pain, and nearly curled up into himself. He then was suddenly attacked by a big hug from Momoi. Aomine blinked when he felt the girl tremble, knowing she was crying. The boy sighed awkwardly, and patted her head.

Momoi pulled away, wiping away the tears from her eyes, and turned to the shorter but older female. “Aida Riko, leader of the Etoile Clan. How can I help you?” Then the two girls moved aside to talk.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Seems that we no longer have any business here.” He turned to his fellow clansman, who was talking with Furihata, Izuki and Kasamatsu. “Takao, we're returning back to Fabula City.” The raven haired boy blinked, looking at his partner.

Kasamatsu slightly raised his head. “Since all of Etoile Clan members have returned to OW, our contract is over.” He said.

“Eh?” Kise blinked. “Just like that? That's it? But!” The blond looked over at the passed out red haired Knight, who was being carried, in bridal style, by the towering Knight of the Etoile Clan. Then he looked at Aomine, who was just standing there awkwardly, ignoring the pain on his whole body that he received from his former Clansmen.

Kuroko suddenly came into the line of sight of the taller blue haired male. Aomine glanced down, his expression remaining passive. “Tetsu.”

“You have no recollection of what occurred in the Dungeon either?” Kuroko wanted a confirmation, staring deeply into sapphire blue eyes.

The tanned male sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. “No.” He simply replied. “Nor do I have clear memories of anything since about our second year as a squad in Kiseki Clan.” The three Generals looked at the teen in shock. Aomine lifted his hand, and stared hard at it. “It's all a blur, but there are bits and pieces that I can recall. But, most of everything was clouded over.” He closed his eyes, and shook his head. Then he raised his head, and looked at his former clansman. “But anyway, it's different now, I guess.”

“It was Aomine that changed first, and the quickest, after all.” Midorima sighed, then crossed his arms with a frown. “And all that darkness we witnessed was proof on how much influence it had and grew in him. It also seemed to have affected his team in his Clan.”

“But what is it, this darkness that all of us seemed to carry?” Kise questioned out loud. “Is it the same thing that influenced us as well, the one that Aomine-cchi had?”

“We don't know.” Kuroko replied, with a tone of loss. “None of us understands it, but...”

“You think after saving the rest of us, we might be able to find out?” Midorima questioned. He sighed, then reached up to adjust his glasses higher. “Do you believe that with just us we could stop the last two?”

“Why not?” Kise spoke up, his hands on his hips. “We've gotten this far.” He looked at the smallest among them. “Right Kuroko-cchi?”

Kuroko bowed his head. “Oi! What the hell are you all talking about?” Aomine cut in, looking annoyed. They all stared at the tanned male with a blank expression, causing him to feel suddenly uncomfortable.

There was a heavy slap on the darker blue haired teen's back, and he cringed. He turned around with a glare towards the pink haired girl. Momoi was smiling innocently. “Let's go Dai-chan!” She chirped, then looked at all her former clansmen. “Tetsu-kun, Ki-chan, Midorin! Let's all hang out together soon, okay?” The boys sensed the hint behind her words, and all agreed in their own way.

Soon everyone parted. Aida invited the pairs from Wahr Clan and Anima Clan back to their base in Espoir. It was to finalize business and close off their contracts as hired help. It was then suggested for a party to celebrate the return of the whole Etoile Clan, with their guests also invited, before they all returned back to Earth.

The smallest male tore his eyes away from the happy scenes before him. Most of his clansmen were joking around, while laughing with Kiyoshi and the other older members. _'I understand everyone's concern... and I think I know what you're thinking, Midorima-kun... I have that terrible feeling, and feel hesitant in facing_ him _...'_ Light blue eyes glanced over at Kagami, who was oblivious to her surroundings. ' _And all that has been happening... one day... Kagami-kun might hit a wall... but..._ ' He clenched his hand tightly into a fist. ' _I'll have to get stronger._ '

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHA!!! Phew, how do you like that very very long chapter? It could have ended better, but oh well, I'll leave it at that. Etoile Clan is back! (cough)
> 
> Three down, two more to go! So this chapter took a while because I was changing things constantly. So I rushed or skimmed through some battle scenes that could have been epic. I was going to separate this too, but I thought not to, because everyone was waiting for this moment to finally happen: the battle against Aomine and that kiss. Come on, who didn't imagine the first kiss of AoKaga to be like that? And I hope it fit his character, that perverted ganguro. And now with him in the picture, he just made my life much more difficult. (bawls)
> 
> Because of the long wait, and me about to go AWOL again, I made it up with this very long chapter. How it will satiate you for a while. Also sorry for the rush in writing this, and the many spelling and grammar mistakes. I'll eventually tackle this again to correct it in the future. So until next time!


	14. The Momentary Repose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter is really long.

Barely noon, and the summer heat was already hanging in the air. Kuroko looked up at the sky, with the sun nearly directly above him. But the call of his name caught his attention, and he lowered his head seeing the familiar figures that were waving enthusiastically towards him, as he stood under the shade of a tree. “Tetsu-kun!” “Kuroko-cchi!”

The shorter male barely took three steps forward before he was bombarded by the tight hug from his pink haired friend. Then he was being tugged towards his blond friend. “Good day, Momoi-san, Kise-kun.” He managed to say, while being nearly tossed around by his two most touchy-feeling friends.

Light blue eyes scanned the area. “Aomine-kun and Midorima-kun are not here, yet?” Kuroko questioned.

Kise huffed, and crossed his arms. “Midorima-cchi refused to come because he had some thing else important to do. Most likely gone out shopping for what ever his lucky item of the day is.” He rolled his eyes.

Momoi made a face, nearly scowling with annoyance. “I don't know how, but Dai-chan literally disappeared when we were on our way here! Can you believe he just ditched me and ran off without a word!? The nerve of him! And I've told him how important this meeting was!” She grumbled.

Kuroko sighed quietly, and patted the girl's head to comfort her. “Maybe I have some idea on where we could find Aomine-kun.” Momoi and Kise looked at the boy with curiosity, blinking their eyes in an almost child like manner.

 

* * *

 

High fives were being thrown around, and a big hand ruffled the red locks of the tallest male. Kagami scowled, and waved off the hand on his head. The others were laughing, and already packing away their stuff. The red head was found in the basketball court, having just won another game of street ball with some older players. A few he remembered from playing with them in the past, others were just some strangers he didn't mind playing against or with. He had some pride in helping his team win the match, watching them all gathered around, with a friendly atmosphere. “Hey, Kagami, join us for a celebratory feast!” One called out, and a few others cheered, encouraging the first year.

Kagami lowered his bottle, and waved his hand. “Thanks, but I'll pass. Next time maybe.” He tuned out the calls of disappointment from the older guys. Soon the court was cleared out, and Kagami moved to follow, pulling his bag high on his shoulder. When he looked up, he instantly scowled, and paused on his spot.

“Play me.” Aomine Daiki demanded, standing in between the red head and the exit of the gated court. He held in his hand a basketball, with his sapphire blue eyes narrowed at the red head.

Irritation bubbled in the red head's chest. “Uh, no thanks.” He grumbled, and started moving towards the exit. He blatantly put distance between himself and the taller male, going around him.

Aomine snorted. “What? So you'll admit that you're scared of losing to me?” He taunted.

Kagami quickly turned around and glared at the blue haired boy. “What was that!?” He shouted, outraged. “I can so beat your ass, you bastard!” Kagami tossed his bag aside, and threw his hands up front, lowering his hips in a stance. “Let's go!” He didn't see the smirk that formed on Aomine's lips. The taller teen tossed the ball.

Time seemed to fly by for the two basketball players. They were running around, dribbling, shooting, jumping and blocking. Aomine went for the dunk, grinning as he saw how high his opponent jumped to block the ball, but the blue haired boy maneuvered around, and tossed the ball from behind the board, making it into the basket with a swoosh of the net. Then the two landed, and Kagami was panting, with a hand on his knee. He wiped the sweat from his temple. “Damnit! One more round! I can beat you!” He seethed.

Aomine stood up straighter, his hands on his hips as he was breathing heavily, grinning widely. “Yeah right!” He took off his jacket, and tossed it carelessly to the ground. “But I don't mind a re-match from you! I'm going to make you cry for mercy!”

“SUPER KICK!”

The taller male was nearly thrown far, being kicked hard at his back. Kagami blinked in surprise, and stood up straight, seeing a familiar pink haired girl, raging. “Stupid Dai-chan! I take my eyes off you for a second, and you disappear! And this is where you were the whole time!? I told you this meeting was important!” She shouted. Aomine was on the floor, rubbing his lower back, cringing.

“Kagami-cchi!”

The red head got attacked by the familiar blond, and he choked with surprise. “Kise!”

Then there was a jab to Kise's side, and he instantly released the tall red head. He clutched on to his aching side, crying on how cruel Kuroko was. Kagami blinked at the boy who seemed to stick closely to his side. The light blue haired boy was giving dark looks towards the blond. “Kuroko.” Kagami greeted, and then looked around. “What are you guys doing here?” He questioned.

Aomine scowled, watching his former clansmen gather around the red head. He got up from the floor. “Hey, how do you guys know him?”

Momoi's eyes slowly widened, and she gasped. “No way! That's Kagami!? The same Kagami, a _female_ Knight Kagami from OW?” Her face was red with shock. “I... I should have known.” Then the pink haired girl came up to the tall red head, and started to walk around, checking out the boy, up and down. “They definitely have the same features, the tall heights, the hair and eyes. And let's not forget the brows... No wonder I couldn't find records of a _female_ Kagami attending Seirin...” Her eyes suddenly shined, which Kuroko recognized as an eager detective wanting to solve a big mystery. It was just like his Clan Leader.

“What the hell!?” Aomine stomped his way toward the red head, and his hands reached out front, slapping it on top of Kagami's chest. Then the hands seemed to roughly fondle the boy's chest. The expression on Aomine's face changed from disbelief to dejection. “No way! It's flat! There's no way that you could be that sexy big chested chick! Give her back!” He nearly cried. “She's way hotter than you!”

All the while Kagami was a brighter shade of red than his hair. Then he felt anger boil within him, and he pushed away Aomine's hands from molesting his chest. He roughly grabbed the collar of the darker male's shirt, and glared hard, seething, despite his embarrassment. “Why you-!?”

Kise and Kuroko quickly pulled the red head away, just as Momoi was slapping the back of Aomine's head with each syllable of her words. “STUPID PERVERT, DAI-CHAN!” Two pairs of eyes were coldly glaring daggers at the darker blue haired boy, while Kagami was shouting profanities as his face was still flaming, thrashing around.

 

* * *

 

Sapphire blue eyes watched the group in front. Kuroko and Momoi were ahead, talking to one another. Behind them, Kise had his arms around the tall red head, dragging him as they walked through the city, with Kagami protesting in joining them. Aomine was sulking behind, while recovering from the aches at his head and back from his abusive childhood friend. He sighed, still in disbelief that the _female_ Knight, Kagami, was really the _male_ Kagami, whom he begrudgingly admits could be a somewhat good basketball player. He pictured the red haired beauty, but when he looked straight ahead, the image melted into the tall very male red head. He sighed again.

Then his eyes looked back up, and they narrowed on how Kise clung on to Kagami, as he chatted away with non-sense. The red head was just broodingly looking ahead, probably listening or not to the blond. Aomine suddenly felt irritated, and picked up his pace. He came up to the tall males, and placed his hands on their shoulders. They looked back curiously, and then Kise was ripped away from the red head. “What the heck, Aomine-cchi!?” The blond cried out.

“Stop being creepy, Kise. And can't you see how annoying you are?” Aomine growled, massaging his temple. The blond cried in protest, and pouting at the dark blue haired teen. Then he turned and narrowed his eyes at the red head. “And you? Why do you even encourage him? Isn't his clinginess making you feel weird out?”

Kagami nonchalantly shrugged, his expression calmly passive. “I just learned to deal with it, as what Kuroko told me a while ago. Kise is just like an over-excited puppy, apparently, and he'll just keep coming back. So, whatever.” He replied. Kise went to Kuroko, and cried on his shoulder, saying how mean the two idiots were. “You're just thinking about it too much. It's just Kise, after all.”

Kise threw his arm around the red head's shoulder, and grinned at the tall dark male. “And we're friends, after all! So, this is natural friendly skinship, ne?”

Aomine scowls at the playful bite in the blond's tone, which he thought was unnecessary. He looked off to the side, sensing that their group continued to walk down the street. ' _What the heck am I thinking?_ ' He lamely scratched the back of his head, and started to follow after them.

“Oh look, Shin-chan!” A familiar voice called out.

Their little group paused, and saw the familiar pair from Anima Clan. Takao casually walked up to them, giving a high five to Kagami and Kise. Midorima trailed slowly behind, frowning, with his arms crossed. Momoi gasped, and clasped her hands together. “Midorin! So glad you could join us!”

The green head clicked his tongue in annoyance. “It wasn't in the plan. We just happened to run into each other.” He grumbled. Takao moved over to his spot, beside and slightly behind the tall male. He grinned, and was holding in his laugh at the response of his clansman.

“It looks like we're all here.” Kuroko spoke up.

Momoi giggled, and wrapped her arm around the light blue haired boy's arm. “Come on, there is this nice place we could talk and eat at the same time!” Then Kise continued to drag the red head, trailing behind Momoi and Kuroko. Midorima sighed, and followed, with Takao closely behind, smiling. Aomine groaned and dragged his feet as he trekked behind the group.

Because it was a nice day out, Kagami and Takao shared a table, sitting out in the patio. At a distance was the group of former Kiseki Clan members, behind the glass window, in a booth inside. The red head tore his gaze away from the group, and look out, with a dull expression, at the busy streets with walking pedestrians. “I don't see why we were dragged along as well, when we're not even included in their group.” Kagami took a big bite of his sandwich.

Takao grinned with amusement, carefully watching the taller male. “Aw~ Is Kagami-chan jealous he's not part of their circle?” He teasingly asked.

The red head glared. “I'm not jealous, and don't add 'chan' to my name!”

The raven haired boy chuckled, carefully watching the adorable tall red head. Takao was resting his chin on his hand, with his elbow on the table. His eyes looked away from the group of very colorful heads, then glanced back up at his lunch partner in front of him. “Say, since we were abandoned, let's just leave here and have some of our own fun, ne? We don't need them.” He was playfully grinning.

Kagami raised a brow. “Huh?”

 

* * *

 

Magenta eyes stared down at the half eaten sandwich. Momoi had a solemn expression upon her face. She sat at the center of the semi circle booth, with Aomine at one side, and Kuroko at the other. Midorima and Kise took the ends, with the blond staying close to the light blue head. The girl licked her lips. “It seems that my memories are clearer than most of you. Must be because I have less of an influence of this 'darkness' than any of you, especially because of my Class, not having any contact with the fields.” Momoi spoke. The others glanced over at the pink haired girl.

“It was quiet obvious that everyone's demeanor started to change about in our second year as a Squad, and Akashi-kun was promoted as the Captain for Team 1.” She looked up at the blond at the end of the booth. “That's when he invited Ki-chan, Tetsu-kun and myself into the Team, with Dai-chan, Midorin, Mukkun and Akashi-kun...” The boys seemed to have a vague expression of recalling that time. “That is when you all began to improve, with stats rising in an incredible rate, with abilities evolving than what your Class would normally be capable of.”

Pink hair was tucked loosely behind the girl's ear. “I believe that was also when the rivalry between Kiseki Clan and the neighboring Clan heightened, and the animosity between the two Clans with some boarder dispute started the infamous Clan Wars.” She sighed, and closed her eyes. “The whole of Kiseki Clan began to receive missions to battle or out stage the rivaling Clan, competing in tournaments, Dungeon take overs... and then it reached to the point that outside battles in the open fields began, and our whole Team and Squad were sent out.”

Slowly her magenta eyes opened, mostly staring straight ahead at a spot on the off white table. “That is when our Team became known as undefeated in all received missions against the enemy Clan in all areas: the Dungeons, open fields, official and unofficial challenges... And then somehow our Team was able to rise into high ranked Squads due to all of our successes... Kiseki Clan was able to take over the whole south of the lands because of you, the titled Miraculous Generals.”

There were tiny twitches from the boys, reacting to her story, and she was the only one that noticed them. Momoi then placed her elbow on the table, and rested her chin on her propped up hand, nonchalantly stirring her soda. “I've been noticing the changes with each of you, and got a little worried, because you all began to act differently... everyone was drifting apart... So... I confronted the Squad Leader about probably lightening the load of your missions... but he denied everything, and encouraged your growth.” Momoi clutched on to her drink, and her expression became melancholy. “That's when... the way you battle became ruthless... horrifying...” She bowed her head, gritting her teeth. “And I couldn't do anything to stop you... I just continued to guide you to victory... I became scared... but I didn't stop or help... you all became worse... especially Dai-chan, who changed faster than any of you...” Her breath hitched, and she bowed her head lower, nearly hitting her forehead against the table. She clutched tightly on to her skirt, her knuckles white. “I'm so sorry...”

Kuroko raised his hand, and placed it comfortingly on the girl's shoulder. “No, Momoi-san, it's not your fault at all. You tried, but you at least did care for us.” He soothingly spoke, while rubbing her upper arm.

Aomine sighed in slight frustration, scowling, avoiding at looking at the devastation of his childhood friend. “Nothing. I don't remember anything at all, especially our second year in Kiseki Clan, after Akashi became our Team Captain.” He gritted his teeth, glaring a head of him, at nothing in particular. “It was like the whole time I was in a deep dark pool of water. Everything around me was muffled and blurred.” He scratched that back of his head, a deep frown upon his lips.

“It's kind of the same for me.” Kise replied, soberly. “But, I had a little more of a clearer picture of what was going on. They're all just faint memories, a little foreign...” Midorima silently confirmed the same thing with just a nod of his head. “But, most of all, what was very unclear was why Kiseki Clan got disbanded.” He glanced over at the pink haired girl.

Momoi raised her head, and lightly bit her lower lip. “I... don't remember much about that either...” She furrowed her brows in slight confusion. “It was when our rival Clan finally admitted defeat, when Kiseki already took up a huge fraction of the lands. There was going to be a summit between our Clan and the rivaling one to discuss negotiations and deals because of Kiseki's victory over the other clan. However, I recalled the Elder Clan summoning our Team before it happened, but more specifically the Miraculous Generals.” She looked up at each of the boys. “You all went to meet with the Elder Clan, except for Tetsu-kun, since he has left the Clan by then.” Kuroko minutely flinched, which only the girl noticed. “After the meeting, it became such a huge news that Kiseki Clan was to be disbanded.” Momoi looked over at Aomine. “I had asked Dai-chan about it, but he ignored me and didn't say anything. Everyone didn't say anything.”

“Would have the Elder Clans done something to us? They most definitely know something is going on. Nothing can get past them when it deals with OW.” Midorima said, his arms crossed and head slightly bowed.

“I can't believe we're all starting to think everything could be the Elder Clan's doing.” Kise spoke up, with a look of shock and guilt. “They could be involved with this 'darkness' business...” They all became silent, with all the information sinking in, and leaving them with their own thoughts.

The sound of the clearing of the throat snapped them all back to reality, and they looked up to see the familiar raven haired boy that was in the same Clan as Midorima. Takao grinned playfully. “Sorry to interrupt, but Kagami-chan and I were feeling a bit bored and lonely.” He raised a hand in apology. “So, don't mind us, just informing you. We decided to go on a little date, just the two of us, as you guys continue with your little reunion between former clansmen and Junior High classmates.”

Then Kagami came up from behind Takao, and neared them, looking around at each colorful haired teen. “Yo, we're finished with lunch, so...” His voice trailed of, feeling a bit awkward and out of place.

Takao smiled widely, and moved beside the red head. He casually leaned his arm on the taller boy's shoulder, waving at them. “So don't worry about us. We'll be alright!”

Kise jumped out of his seat. “What!? A date! You're no fair, Takao!” He cried. Green eyes glared coldly at his clansman.

“Huh? Date? What date?” Kagami jerked his head towards Takao, narrowing his eyes and frowning. “What did you tell them, Takao?”

The raven haired teen laughed out loudly, and hooked arms with the tall red head. “We'll catch you guys later!” He saluted, and dragged Kagami out with him from the restaurant, who was protesting.

Kise plopped back down at his seat, sulking. Midorima was radiating with a dark aura. Magenta eyes carefully observed the boys. She saw the blank expression of Kuroko's, and then was surprised by the slight irritation on her childhood friend's face. “You guys seem to regard Kagami significantly...” She spoke lightly, stirring her drink again before taking a sip.

“Well... He did save us...” There was a fondness in the eyes of the blond, with a gentle smile on his lips. Momoi also saw it in Midorima, though he schooled his expression into aloofness.

Kuroko also had a small smile on his lips, his cerulean eyes bright. “He's become someone important.” The smallest male replied. “And, Kagami-kun and I made a promise to defeat all the Miraculous Generals together.”

There was a snort. Midorima adjusted his glasses. “And look how far ' _just the two of you_ ' got.” He replied, snidely.

Kise smiled, his eyes glittering with determination. “Don't worry, Kuroko-cchi, I'll definitely be there to help out! We're all friends after all.”

“Idiots.” Aomine grunted. “From what Midorima had said before, it took all three of you guys, plus Kagami, to stop me.” He waved a hand offhandedly. “And from what I could remember, Murasakibara was already stronger than all of us since we first formed a Team.” He leaned back in his seat, throwing an arm over the back of the booth seat. He narrowed his sapphire blue eyes, looking at each of his former clansmen. “But the real threat to any of us would be our _former Captain_ , Akashi.” His tone dropped in to grave seriousness. “Though I was buried in this 'darkness', even I could sense and was very aware that Akashi could be more dangerous than all of us combined.” He shuddered. The rest had grim expressions, not denying the claim of the dark blue haired boy.

“It doesn't help that Akashi-kun joined one of the most elite Clans of OW... and from what I gathered, he easily became a Captain in one of the higher ranked Squads...” Momoi informed them. She was starting to feel light headed recalling the information she dug up of her former clansman.

“Nothing seems to have changed for Akashi. History could be repeating it self.” Midorima spoke up. “He nearly reached the position as high as second to the Leader of the whole Kiseki Clan...”

“What could we do then? They were- are our friends still. They're in the same situation as us, being influenced by this 'darkness'. This whole thing is getting worse and out of hand...” Kise murmured.

Silence overcame them, hanging heavily over them. Kuroko narrowed his eyes, with a small light glinting in his cerulean eyes. “I have faith. Nothing is impossible. We're just going to have to give it our all, like what we have been doing this whole time. We were able to save Kise-kun, Midorima-kun and Aomine-kun. We can save the others.” He broke the silence, determination and encouragement in his voice. “But most all, I believe in Kagami-kun... my Light.” He smiled lightly. Kise's expression brighten, and he smiled widely. To the side, Aomine was scowling with his brows furrowed, and Momoi stared ahead blankly.

Midorima sighed, and pushed his glasses up higher at the bridge of his nose. “And, what will you do if Kagami finally hits a wall? What will you do then? Do you think it's still possible? The situation will get _worse_.”

“Don't worry! We'll just have to work hard together as a team!” Kise chirped.

“Since when has Kise-kun been included with Kagami-kun and me?” Kuroko flatly spoke.

“You're so unfair, Kuroko-cchi! We're definitely a team: you, me and Kagami-cchi! Come on! Think of all the fun times together!” The blond nearly cried.

Midorima scoffed. “Your team will be instantly annihilated.”

The blond pouted, and glared at the green head. “You're just saying that because you're jealous that you're not included in our team!” He glanced over at the darker blue haired boy. “Aomine-cchi could join...” But then his expression fell, and soured. “Actually never mind, especially when you molested Kagami-cchi... twice!” Kise glared.

“Oh, please!” Aomine scrunched his nose in distaste. “I molested no one. And why would I want to be invited to some stupid team that's not even so great, and with both you and that Kagami in it?”

Kuroko shook his head. “What happened in that Dungeon was no accident. You definitely harassed Kagami-kun.”

“I didn't harass him!” The dark blue haired boy shouted in protest. “It's not like I'd do it again when he's really a guy.” He gagged, and shuddered.

Kise sighed in relief. “That means I only have two rivals to worry about.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Aomine questioned outrageously. The blond pointed at Kuroko and Midorima. The darker blue haired boy looked with disbelief. “Huh?” Still confused.

The green head glared coldly across him at the blond. “You are talking non-sense.” He hissed.

Kuroko also glared at the boy beside him, with a disapproving expression. “What kind of fake competition did you make up, Kise-kun?”

Sitting quietly at the center of the half circle booth, Momoi watched the boys argue, especially about a certain red head that seemed to have caught all – even her self – their attention. She smiled, and bowed her head, as flashes of the past came to her, when they were back in Teikou, walking together as they exited the school, arguing over the littlest of things. ' _I missed this..._ ' Her mind fondly recalled, and giggled. ' _But it's not fully complete. I really wish and hope that the whole gang could get back together, just like in the past._ ' She silently prayed. Then a flash of a red head came to her. She furrowed her brows and frowned. ' _Who are you really, Kagami Taiga?_ '

 

* * *

 

There was a long and loud sigh, as Aida leaned back into her big comfy chair. She reached her hand to rub her temple, with her brows furrowed, and a frown on her lips. There were blank windows opened up in her screens in front of her. “This 'darkness' affecting those Generals... and the relation with Kagami...” The brunette sighed again, and sat up straight.

To the monitor to her side, she closed the windows with files of pictures from their party a few days back, in celebration of the big welcome back of the whole Etoile Clan. “I still can't believe Kagami-kun was able to open the gates between the worlds with no use of the specific spell, and during a time when the boarders were not weak to allow gate spells to be used... And to call the whole of Etoile Clan back, even before the end of the month. It was barely the third week! She just keeps on breaking the laws of OW...” She sighed once more, and leaned forward, with her elbows on a free space on the console, and her forehead pressed against her clasped hands. “We're just going to have to add to her training menu, to test if she could consciously open those gates.” She looked up back at the monitor, and clicked on a window, pulling up Kagami's files. “She's showed abilities of a Cleric, Knight and Tamer all rolled up in one... maybe even a little of a Guide Class too.”

There was a small dot that started blinking at the very bottom corner of her monitor. Aida narrowed her eyes, and sat up straight into her chair. ' _A private and secure line for only Guides to access..._ ' She raised a brow, and then reached her hand to tap with a finger her right ear lobe. Then an ear piece with a thin mouth piece materialized. A glowing white cord slowly began to form from her ear piece, trailing up, and disappearing into thin air. The girl leaned back, and closed her eyes.

A tingling feeling passed through her, and she slowly opened her eyes. She was in a black void, with glowing strange symbols floating around. She raised her head and found a familiar pink haired girl, with the same ear-head set, and the white glowing cord connecting with hers. “You made it, Aida-sempai!” The girl chirped with a smile.

“Momoi Satsuki, Guide for the Wuqing Clan, specifically in the same team as Aomine Daiki, and also formerly part of the same team as the Miraculous Generals in Kiseki Clan.” Aida stated in a flat tone.

The pink haired girl swung her hands behind her, clasping them together as she hummed a bit. “Then I don't have to explain why I called you here to the private line in cyberspace.”

The brunette crossed her arms across her chest. “Though it's a private line, especially something us Guides are able to access and create, the Elder Clan still can some how monitor cyberspace, and can detect these private connections. However, it will take a while until they try to breech the privacy barriers and catch word on what we say here.” Aida pointed out.

Momoi's smile widened. “I'll make this quick. It's about Kagami Taiga.” She simply said.

Aida frowned, and narrowed her eyes. “You'll have to remember that you're under oath and magical contract that you and your Team cannot mention anything pertaining to Kagami-kun outside of your Team.”

“Oh, don't worry, I remember it well.” She waved her hands up defensively. “However, it doesn't stop me when a mystery like Kagami Taiga presents itself on my lap, I can't help but try to solve such a puzzle. And I know that you, Aida-sempai, are just as curious as I am, and could have an inkling on unveiling on who Kagamin really is.”

' _Kagamin?_ ' The older girl looked at the pink head oddly. Then she huffed. “You possibly can't have any more information that I don't already know of, based on all the gathered data that I have collected and observed from my own clansman.” Aida had a daring look in her hazel eyes, carefully watching the younger girl. “You can't have anything that I haven't discovered from only two encounters with Kagami-kun.”

Momoi smiled. “That may be true, but because of involvement of Kagami-kun with the Miraculous Generals, and all this mysterious business that is associated with them and could pertain to their past, I'm confident that Aida-sempai would want to know about our past, since it's one of the biggest mysteries that needs to be solved, in order to truly discover what Kagami-kun truly is.” The pink haired girl tugged on her mini skirt, and brushed the hair over her shoulder. “Why is Kagami-kun involved with the Generals, when she's never met them before? There must be something in the Kiseki Clan's past that could be the key to who Kagami-kun is.”

Aida frowned. “You're right.” She muttered, hating that someone seemed to understand her so well, knowing how her mind could work.

“Then a pact.” Momoi proposed, holding out her hand towards the shorter girl. “We'll help each other. I too want to figure out the truth behind the dissolution of the Kiseki Clan, and what is the relation of Kagami-kun to my friends.”

The brunette stared at the hand, and then hesitantly reach out, taking the hand with a squeeze. “Fine, we'll help each other.” Pink and teal glowing lines appeared, and encircled around the two connected hands. Then it tightened around the hands and disappeared.

Momoi released the older girl's hand, and smiled sweetly. “Then, Sempai, have you heard of the Deviant Class?” Hazel eyes narrowed, and Aida's frown deepened.

 

* * *

 

Arms reached up to the sky, followed by a big loud yawn. Kagami dropped her arms from above her head, and rubbed her eyes from the stray tears that formed at the corner. The tall red haired girl was back in her shining silver armor in OW. She was walking down the familiar busy streets of Imperial City.

“Are you okay, Kagami-kun?” The boy beside her questioned, dressed in his dark clothing, with hood and mask down. Kuroko looked up at the red haired Knight, with a hint of concern in his wide light blue eyes. “After all, we just finished a Formal Clan Battle Challenge.”

Kagami waved her hand. “I'm fine, just tired. All that fighting has gotten me hungry, and I need the food to restore all that energy we used.” She rolled her shoulders and neck.

“Remember, the food here is pricey, since we're in the Imperial City. We have another Formal Challenge later, so we can't exactly leave here yet. So maybe a light snack will help?” The boy suggested. “I know how big of an appetite you have, so you'll more than likely use up all of your money here.” He warned. The red head clicked her tongue, pouting.

Suddenly, Kagami felt someone bump into her shoulder. The red head turned around, her eyes glaring accusingly. She saw a beautiful long raven haired girl, dressed in shining silver armor. The girl bowed apologetically. “I'm sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going.” She said, and bowed again. “I'm sorry again, but I'm in a hurry.” Then the girl disappeared into the crowd.

Kagami just blinked. Kuroko nudged his silent friend. “Are you okay?”

The red head shook her head, and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah... just, she looked like someone I might have met before...”

“Tetsu-kuuuuuuuuuuun!!!!”

The light blue haired boy was suddenly attacked, as a familiar pink haired girl attached her self to the boy. Kuroko winced when he was squeezed tightly. “M-Momoi-san.”

“You're here too!” The pink haired girl chirped excitedly.

Coming up from behind her, Aomine walked up close to the red head, with his usual bored expression on his face. Kagami turned around, suddenly feeling apprehensive near the dark blue haired boy. Sapphire blue eyes glanced up and down the girl, and his large hand just abruptly grabbed the red head's breast. “Why is it so real?” He drawled.

Just as sudden, the tall male got punched in the face. The Chosen and Phasma that were in the area all paused to look at the commotion. Kagami was stomping away, fuming and flustered, while shouting about perverts. Kuroko looked down at Aomine, who was moaning and rubbing his face, while on the ground. The dark haired male looked up when a shadow loomed over him, and froze and squirmed when cold eyes darkly looked down at him, as if sending a silent warning message. Kuroko then turned around, and went after his partner. Aomine gets slapped at the back of his head, and Momoi was glaring at her friend. “I can't believe you, Dai-chan! You're such a stupid pervert! One day you'll end up in jail for harassment, and I won't help you at all!” She shouted, and ran after Kuroko.

“Wait, Tetsu-kun, are you guys free?” She called out.

The four young teens were found at a restaurant, sharing a booth. Kuroko sat beside his partner, who was fuming and angrily eating, while glaring across at Aomine. The boy was sporting a black eye, and they had to ask for ice, which he was holding on to as he nursed his aching face. Kagami couldn't help but feel a little smug at hitting the boy, which Aomine very much deserved, as told many times by Momoi.

“The Winter Battle Tournaments are coming up. Time flies so fast as usual here in OW, even though summer barely started back home.” The pink haired girl commented, starting up a conversation among the group, ignoring the tension between the two tallest teens.

The red head blinked, and looked at the other girl. “Tournament? What's that about?” She questioned.

Aomine snorted. “Huh? How can you not know about them?” Ruby eyes instantly glared at the dark blue haired boy.

Momoi frowned, and punched her friend's upper arm. “Hey, be nice! Kagamin is a Rookie. She just entered into OW by the start of the school year.”

“K-Kagamin!?” The red head became flustered.

The pink haired girl giggled, and looked towards Kagami. “Well, every year there are tournaments that get hosted by the Elder Clan. It's to see how well the Clans are doing, and would give them a chance to rise up in Ranks, or earn some very rare prizes given straight from the Gods of OW themselves. Plus, it's also a chance to earn some glory and bragging rights. Here in OW there are four main ones that occur every OW year, as the seasons changes: the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Battle Tournaments. And it gets further divided, depending on your Clan's Ranks: Bronze, Silver and Gold Tournaments. From what I saw in the database, your Clan is eligible to compete in the Bronze Tournament.”

Kagami nodded, humming in understanding. “Yeah, I think I remember Leader explaining it all before...” She scratched the back of her head, lightly blushing in embarrassment and shame for forgetting. “And we had to miss the Bronze Autumn Battle Tournament, since our whole Clan was out of commission.”

The expression on Momoi's face fell. “Oh... sorry about that...”

Kuroko looked up at the pink haired girl, and gave a small reassuring smile. “It is alright, it was not all your fault, Momoi-san.”

“Ah, it was all the said mind controlled Aomine's fault.” Kagami recalled, narrowing her eyes at the tallest male in their group.

The boy raised his hand in defense, becoming edgy. “Hey, don't look at me. I don't remember a single thing!” Aomine defended, and yet Kagami still gave a distrusting and cautious look towards him.

“Hm, Kagamin, you don't remember that battle either?” Momoi questioned. Kuroko raised his head, carefully watching his pink haired friend at the 'not so innocent' question.

The red head furrowed her brows, frowning, with her eyes glazed. “No, I remember that time seeing everyone disappearing once this bastard one hit killed them all.” Kagami replied. “But, I'm more unclear on what happened after that encounter, with your Clan, when Kise and Midorima was still hired help... I really don't remember how everyone came back to OW... and that this idiot right now is apparently different from the bastard I first met...” She scowled, turning back her glaring eyes at the dark blue haired boy.

“Definitely curious.” Momoi raised a brow, and hummed. “I wonder, why was it just recently that you entered into OW? Were you not told until now about being a Chosen?”

Kagami started to feel a bit awkward with all the questions, unsure what to say to the very curious girl. “Ah... yeah well... the family situation thing is kind of complicated... and it was Kuroko that told me about being a Chosen...” Her words started to trail off, fidgeting on her spot.

There was a loud yawn, and all attention turned to the dark haired male. Aomine rubbed the back of his head. “Man, I'm bored.” He groaned, and turned to the pink haired girl. “Can't we leave already? I want to take a nap.”

Momoi huffed, and pouted her lips. “Mou, Dai-chan, why do you have to be so rude?”

“Hey!” Kagami called out, and narrowed her eyes at the dark blue haired boy. “How about a spar? I want to prove that I can take you and beat you! I may not remember defeating you last time, but I want to see that I can do it again!” She pointed at the boy, with her eyes shining at the challenge.

Aomine scowled, staring at the pretty red head in front of him. “Don't you have other things to do?”

“Actually, our Clan is pretty much free until night fall for another Formal Clan Challenge. And we were told, since Kagami-kun and I won the one this morning, that we do not have to battle in this up coming one. We just have to be there as support.” Kuroko spoke up. He then looked straight up at Aomine's eyes, a glint in his cerulean eyes. “What is the matter, Aomine-kun? Are you afraid to be beating again by a girl?”

A vein nearly popped, and Aomine narrowed his eyes. “Of course not!” He easily took the bait, and Momoi and Kuroko looked at one another with a known smile. The darker haired male slammed his hand on the table, and glared at the red haired girl. “Come on, I can't wait to wipe that smirk off you face, and show you that your win over me was just luck, even if you're a girl!”

 

* * *

 

Giant blades crossed, and a blast of fire was released. Aomine spun to the side, dodging the attack. He was grinning widely, his eyes glowing as he kept them locked on to the fierce ruby eyes, glittering with determination. “Hah! Is that the best you can do?” The boy lifted his giant sword over his head, and swung it down, releasing two swirling blasts of wind at the female Knight.

Kagami lifted her sword, and felt the attack hit her raised shield spell. She was pushed across the field, and her heels barely went over the edge of the battle field platform. The girl lifted her head and smirk. “I'm just getting started, bastard!” Then she dash forward, dragging her heavy sword beside her.

To the side sat Kuroko and Momoi, spectating the “spar” between their two overly excitable and exuberant fighters. They all moved towards the Arena Park after eating lunch, and found a free small battle arena in one of the towers. Momoi held back her hair from her face when a strong gust of wind passed over her head. Then she flinched when a wave of heat came over them. She raised her head when the attacks finished. Her magenta eyes followed the movements of the two fighters. “It's very obvious that Kagamin could be like one of the Miraculous Generals, demonstrating powers beyond the scope of her own Class.” She commented.

Kuroko nodded, not taking his eyes off the two. “She has been progressing in an alarming rate, no longer needs to be called a Rookie.” He replied.

The pink haired girl's expression became somber. “At the Tournament, I don't think it's a good idea for Kagamin to participate. It could reveal to the public her irregular abilities that no normal Knight has.” Momoi raised her arm to block the bright flash of light, and then the grounds trembled. She lowered her arm, and continued to watch as Aomine and Kagami continued off with their sword fight. “I know that your Leader is already going through drastic measures to hide away her abilities from reaching the Elders... but what happened to our Team in Kiseki might happen to Kagamin... or worse.”

The light blue haired boy tore his gaze away from the battle, and gave a small smile to his friend beside him. “Thanks for your concern, Momoi-san, and I understand, the entire Etoile Clan has understood. But Kagami-kun is more than just our Ace fighter.” His expression softened. “She is our Light that helps our Clan in growing.”

The concern was still present in the girl's magenta eyes. “Then I don't really need to tell you, but the brighter the light, the more it would attract the darkness, Tetsu-kun.”

The smile grew upon the boy's lips. “Are you worried that this darkness that influence our former Team might also influence Kagami-kun?” Kuroko carefully asked.

Momoi pouted, turning her head away from the boy. “I know how important Kagamin is to you and your Clan, but I can see that she has also become important to the Miraculous Generals.” She closed her eyes, and pressed her hands on the bench she was sitting. “I've already accepted that with Kagamin's estrange powers, she'll be able to help in freeing our friends, like what she has already did for Dai-chan, Ki-chan and Midorin. They all need her.” She leaned back into her hands, and opened her eyes, seeing as Aomine skidded across the field, stabbing his sword to the ground to prevent him from falling off the edge of the platform. “I'm grateful to her. I was able to see my old friends again, the ones I was close to back when we all first started as a Team, and we made so many happy memories together.” She smiled in nostalgia.

Kagami grinned, and rushed at the dark haired boy, her sword blazing. Momoi sighed, and tucked her hair behind her ear. “But, I hate to admit this... I'm a little envious that Kagamin got all the attention from my friends, but I really admire her and can't help but want to protect her.”

Kuroko bowed his head, and chuckled a little. “It seems like Momoi-san has been pull in by the brilliance of Kagami-kun, too.” He murmured softly.

Fire and wind were blasted from both ends of the platform, and collided. The two attacks started to meld and swirl into a fire tornado, until it exploded, and both Kagami and Aomine were swept off their feet, thrown hard against the walls at opposite eyes. The red haired Knight stirred, and struggled to get back up to her feet. “Damnit! One more round!” She shouted, with a dissatisfied scowl.

Aomine got up, dusting his arms. He snorted, and brought up his sword, before stabbing it to the ground beside him. “Heh, that was just the warm up. I guess I'll have to get a little serious, huh?” He smirked, causing the girl to glare at the face and taunts.

“SUPER KICK!”

The tall dark blue haired boy was sent flying across the room. Kagami blinked a few times in disbelief. She looked up to see Momoi pouting, with her arms crossed, glaring at the direction that she sent her childhood at. “I think that will be enough for you.” She walked her way over, and grabbed the back of Aomine's collar. She started to drag him towards the entrance of the small arena. She looked over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at the two Etoile Clan members. “We'll be taking our leave. It has been fun, Tetsu-kun and Kagamin! We'll need to hang out some more, both here and back home!”

“Aw, come on, Satsuki! I was totally going to win! And did you see how she handled that sword? Pathetic!” Aomine complained while being dragged away.

“WHAT WAS THAT, YOU BASTARD!” The red head raged. “I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME!”

Kuroko shook his head, sighing. ' _I have to watch Kagami-kun closely, especially her chastity..._ ' He glared hard.

 

* * *

 

Hazel eyes locked on to the red haired female Knight, sitting across the meeting table. Gathered around were the rest of the Etoile Clan, complete. “Those who are able to pass certain qualifications can enter the tournament. For us, because we had a numerous successful year in conquering Dungeons and winning many battles against other Clans, we're able to compete this Winter.” Aida spoke, eyes trained directly at their resident Rookie. Kagami pouted, but squirmed under the piercing gaze. “First off, all the seasoned tournaments are divided into three: Bronze, Silver and Gold. For our Clan, we're able to enter the Winter Bronze Tournament.”

“Because our Clan is generally a Rank II, that is where we are allowed to enter.” Tsuchida added, looking at the red haired girl. “With other Clans with higher Ranks, however, it's different. It will depend on the Rank of the Teams entering into the Tournament. The Bronze Tournament allows Rank II and Rank III, while Silver is for Rank IV. Of course Gold will be only for the Rank V.”

Aida nodded on confirmation. “In tournaments, it's allowed for only two Teams to enter the same tournament. And each team consists of 5 members only. So we're going to be choosing the best combination of Fighters to enter as a Team for the Winter Tournament. Usually, in bigger Clans, Teams within the Clans and within the same Rank form their own private competitions, to see which of the top two teams could be permitted to participate in the tournaments.”

“So, when we win this Tournament, our entire Clan Rank will be raised, which will open a whole lot of opportunities for us.” Hyuuga finished, watching Kagami with hard eyes. The red head nodded in understanding, but inwardly feeling flustered in knowing that all this information being discussed in front of the whole Clan was for her benefit.

A button was pressed, and the holographic screens were on, with pictures of most of their Clansmen in display, and grouped in fives. Aida stood up straight, and crossed her arms, staring intently at the screens. “After much discussion with us upperclassmen, these are the two teams we came up with that will be optimal into getting us within the top sixteen.” Then then pointed at one group. “The First Team will consist of Hyuuga-kun, Teppei, and Furihata-kun. They will have Koganei-kun, and Kawahara-kun as their reserved Fighters. For Team Two, it will be Mitobe-kun, Izuki-kun and Kuroko-kun. Tsuchida-kun and Kagami-kun will be reserves.” She then looked at the red haired Knight. “As much as possible, we would want to not let Kagami-kun participate at all, but if need be, she will have to be the very last to fight.”

The red haired girl jumped out of her chair, raging and feeling singled out. “What!? Why? That's-”

“Because, Kagami-kun, you and everyone here knows that you possess powers way beyond that of a normal Knight. I know you're not oblivious to it.” Aida spoke up, cutting off the girl's coming tirade. She narrowed her eyes in a strict fashion, causing the taller girl to feel like she wants to shrink away from the intense gaze. “The truth is, we would want to avoid attracting attention, especially towards you, who is an estrange Knight. The Elder Clan will be spectating the events, and as you know they are the ones that run the lands. And, unfortunately, they are a little intolerant to abnormalities.” Kagami closed her mouth tightly, and plopped back down to her seat.

“Though, you really can't compare your self with Kiyoshi either as a standard Knight, because he is also a little different. However, you Kagami have abilities that are way beyond what Kiyoshi could do.” Hyuuga pointed out. “You can say that in these past months in OW, you practically broke every law and standards that is known.”

Aida sighed, rubbing her temple. “It's not that we distrust the Elder Clan completely in how they govern the lands that we Chosen from Japan reside in. But there is a small belief that they would cover up anything that is unusual or out of the norm, at least keep them in check... and you Kagami-kun, you're like a godsend to our Clan, and we can't let them take you away from us, you understand?” The rest of the Clan members all agreed, with caring and trusting expressions towards the red head. Kagami squirmed, and blushed, feeling awkward at the attention and warmth from her clansmen.

Kuroko bowed his head, knowing the intention behind his Leader's words and thought of the matter. ' _The Elders separated the Generals and disbanded Kiseki Clan, because they grew too big, and may have gone out of hand..._ ' He frowned deeply with the hidden words from the brunette. ' _Was the Elder Clan afraid of being overtaken from their seats as higher powers in OW?_ ' He knew that was also a question his former clansmen wondered too. The boy shook his head, straying from such traitorous notion.

Kagami sank in her seat, and sighed. “I get it.” She nearly moaned, still disappointed that she won't get to fight much in the very anticipated tournament. She was left to sulk on her own, as the rest of the Clansmen discussed some strategies, and looking over some prospective opponents.

 

* * *

 

Having been told that Etoile Clan won't be able to return to OW until around seven in the evening, Kagami was walking home from school. The red head was left in his own thoughts, thinking back of what has occurred since he first entered OW and discovered that he was a Chosen. The boy looked down at his palm. ' _The Sempai said to not waste my energy in summoning gates, since after going through, I would just pass out and be unconscious for a day or two in OW time...'_ It was soon added into his training by Aida in practicing opening gates. At first Kagami was shocked, but then was told that he was able to do it, and that's how the whole Etoile Clan returned to OW, because of him. Kagami didn't bother asking when he did such a thing, since he really couldn't remember at all ever doing it. But he trusted in his clansmen, and surprised himself in summoning a gate. Then he remembered having been passed out for a long time. And with the tournament coming up, they didn't want to waste time that could be spent in training the red haired Knight.

Kagami sighed, and raised his head, watching his surroundings ahead, as he continued his trek back to his apartment. The upperclassmen and Kuroko have always been telling him how special he was. He began to understand that his abilities as a Knight was very different to a normal one, excluding Kiyoshi. Though not told directly, Kagami has heard Kuroko say that he has to be protected, from the ones that could take advantage of his powers, from those that might want to lock him away (like the Elder Clan especially), or from that darkness that seemed to have taken over the Miraculous Generals. ' _Whatever that weird “darkness” is, apparently it had changed those Generals to act like possessed monsters..._ ' He furrowed his brows.

From what he already knew, when Kagami first runs into the Miraculous Generals, they are supposedly not themselves, according to Kuroko. But after having began a battle against them, they change the next time he runs into them, and that chilling and empty feeling he had felt the first time he encountered them disappeared. ' _It's not like I don't_ know _what's going on with all that has been happening. I know for certain that something has happened during those times I blacked out in the middle of those battles...'_ He frowned. ' _Everyone just tells me that I won against the Generals... but no one ever explains_ exactly _how we won against them._ ' He sighed. But Kagami chose to just shrug his shoulders, and pretend that it never bothered him that they, his whole Clan and especially Kuroko, were all leaving him out in the dark. ' _But, I can tell that it has something to do with my strange and growing abilities that keep popping up out of no where, and making me more of an abnormal Knight._ '

Kagami suddenly paused in his walk, and slowly reached a hand up. His fingers lightly touched his lips. ' _And somethings... those weird dreams – no, hallucinations...'_ There was a blur of gold, green and dark blue that entered into his vision. The boy felt his face heat up, and he quickly shook his head. ' _Ugh! I'm thinking of things to much. I really need to just stop._ ' He glared ahead at nothing in particular. ' _I'll just keep on being that idiot that doesn't know anything, as what people all believe I am... It'll be easier on my already weird life I've fallen into._ '

“Kagami-kun.”

The red head turned around, and jumped back in surprise, seeing the recognizable light blue haired classmate of his. “Kuroko!”

Before the taller boy could react in an angry fit, the light blue haired boy pulled out a piece of paper, and nearly shoved it into Kagami's face. The red head backed away, and blinked, looking at a flier. “Huh, what's this? Street ball tournament?” He slightly squinted his eyes, slowly reading the characters.

“Aomine-kun is trying to find players to join his team.” Kuroko lowered the flier and looked up at the red head. “He asked me to join him, first.”

There was a snort from the red haired teen. “Do you even know how to play basketball?” Kagami asked, crossing his arms and raising a brow.

The light blue haired boy raised his arms, and flexed his elbow, poking his not so apparent muscle. “I may not show it, but I am reliable to help, and can learn fast. I am not a weak person.”

Kagami laughed, and nudged away Kuroko's flexing arm with not much muscle to show off. “And, why didn't that idiot ask me himself?” There was a slight irritation in the red head's tone.

“Momoi-san asked me to ask you, Kagami-kun, because Aomine-kun was being very shy to ask you.” The light blue haired boy replied with a straight face.

Kagami snorted again. “That Aomine, shy? I bet Momoi put him up to this...” The red head sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. “Fine, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do anyways.” He slightly grumbled, begrudgingly. He didn't want to admit that he was interested to join this street ball tournament, even if Aomine Daiki was going to be there. But the thought of teaming up together was kind of preposterous and hard to picture.

“Good.” Kuroko took out his mobile phone, and started texting. There was a quick buzz. “Momoi-san says that Aomine-kun is ecstatic that you are joining.” The boy ignored the roll of the red head's eyes, and grumble of disbelief. “The tournament is in two days. From what I recall, most of our Sempai have some appointments in the weekend, so it was decided that we will head to the Other World later in the afternoon on Saturday. It gives us some free time to spend before we cross boarders.”

Kagami pulled out his mobile phone, briefly glancing at the time, before pocketing it. “Alright then, get changed Kuroko, preferably something loose and comfortable.” The shorter boy blinked at such request. The red head gave a small smirk. “I'm going to have to teach you some basketball before this street ball tournament.”

“Don't worry, I know the basics of basketball, Kagami-kun. Back in Middle School, Aomine-kun tried to teach me it.” Kuroko replied.

The red head eyed him critically. “Right. Then I'll be testing out your skills, and shape you up by Saturday.” Kuroko was about to speak up, but Kagami turned him around to the direction of his home. “We're going to want to win this thing. So I need you at your best, and you'll be prepared so that there won't be any surprises for you when you play.” The red head told the boy, pushing him. “And if all goes well, I'll feed you dinner before we head to school at night to go to OW, okay?”

“Alright.” Kuroko turned around, and smiled to himself.

 

* * *

 

“Tetsu-kun! Kagamin! Over here!” Momoi was waving her arm, beaming at them. Beside her stood Aomine, who looked bored and seemed to not want to be there. Kuroko and Kagami walked over to the two, and the girl jumped to tightly hug the shortest male.

There was a loud sigh, and Aomine awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, looking annoyed. “Why was I dragged out here?” He glanced over at the red head. “And why do I have to team up with him? He's not even that good at basketball.” He scowled.

Kagami turned and glared hard at the dark blue haired boy. “Not good? I can totally beat your ass to the ground in basketball, bastard! You claim you're so good at it, but you're not. You're more of just a show off!” He growled.

“Huh? Want to say that again? If I recall, I won the last games, and wiped you all over the floor, Ba-Kagami!” Aomine argued back.

“Ba-!?” The red head roughly grabbed the dark haired boy by his shirt, glaring heatedly. “What did you call me, Ahomine?”

“AHO!?” Aomine then grabbed on to Kagami, glaring back, gritting his teeth.

“Both of you!” Momoi pouted, her hands on her hips. “You're arguing like children!”

“Kuroko-cchi! Kagami-cchi!” Remarkably, both Kuroko and the red head were tackled by the familiar blond male, pulling away Kagami from trying to enter some kind of nonsense brawl with the tanned teen.

The red head nearly choked. Kuroko had his usual blank expression. “Kise-kun.” Kagami pushed the blond away, coughing for air. The shortest male straightened his shirt. “So you were invited too, Kise-kun.”

“Yup!” Kise turned to Kagami, brightly glowing. “And I'm so excited to be able to play with Kagami-cchi and everyone!”

“What?” The red head looked at the blond, with disbelief.

“Oh! Midorin, Takao-kun, right over here!” Momoi shouted, waving at a direction. They all turned to see the tall green haired male, and right beside him was his partner from Anime Clan. “Yay! We're all here!” She clasped her hands together, smiling widely.

“Huh? You're here too?” Kagami questioned.

Takao grinned, and came up beside the red head. “Momoi-san told Shin-chan about this tournament, and said that you'd be here. He really wanted to see Kagami-chan play basketball, since Kise kept on ranting one time about you playing.”

Aomine snorted, and crossed his arms. “Do any of you even know how to play basketball?” Then he turned to the pink haired girl. “And why did you even set this up, inviting them?”

“Don't worry!” Kise chirped. “I've been watching enough basketball games online to understand how the game goes. It doesn't look that difficult.”

“It's not that hard to shoot a ball into the basket.” Midorima casually said, as his arms crossed over his chest, frowning.

Kuroko lifted his arm, flexing at the elbow. “I've been practicing with Kagami-kun. I know how to play.”

“But you haven't even made a proper shot.” The red head groaned, slapping his forehead as remembered the 'training' he had with Kuroko.

“Oh come on, this will be fun!” Momoi claimed, as she moved to stand at the center of attention. “I just thought that it will be fun if we all got together as friends! It was just an opportunity to bond presented itself through this basketball tournament.” She looked over at the red head and dark blue haired boy. “You know, Kagamin, Aomine-kun would have chosen to join the basketball club at school, if he wasn't a Chosen, because he grew up as a basketball idiot.” She ignored Aomine's angry shout of protest to being called an idiot.

“Kagami-kun would have thought of joining the same club too.” Kuroko told. “Unfortunately, there is not basketball team in our school.”

The red head clicked his tongue. “Whatever, it doesn't matter anyways. Basketball is just a hobby.” He muttered. Aomine frowned, biting his tongue from retorting.

“Here we go!” Momoi pulled out a white shirt with a wide light blue stripe that went across the chest. She shoved it against Aomine's chest, then pulled out another matching shirt. “These will be your uniforms for this tournament.” The girl informed, passing out the matching shirts.

Takao blinked when he received a shirt. “Um... me too?”

“You'll be a reserved player, Takao-kun.” The girl chirped.

“But... I don't know how to play...” The raven haired boy's protests went ignored.

Momoi stood up straight, smiling with pride and hands on her hips. “I've already signed you all up as a team, and each team was required to wear some sort of uniform, as part of the rules.”

Kagami looked down at the shirt he put on, replacing it with the shirt he wore when he came to the place. “Scary how she knows the exact size...” He mostly muttered to himself.

“You shouldn't ask Momoi-san how she knew or got the information.” Kuroko warned. The red head just nodded stiffly as the girl went to explain how the tournament was going to be.

 

* * *

 

It was about mid-day when their mix-matched team had a break, before they would play in the semi-final round. To most of them, it was luck that they even made it far with three beginner players, and two hot heads that seemed to argue against each other than play against their opponents. But they were able to win through four rounds and got a spot in the semi-finals. The place was buzzing with a lot of people, some players, most spectators and fans. There were both high school players and college students.

Their group decided to have some lunch for their break, finding a spot on the grass and having a mini picnic. Momoi pulled out some boxes, and opened the top. Automatically, the boys all cringed at the sight and smell. “Eat up!” She beamed. “It's homemade!”

Aomine scrunched his nose in disgust. “Are you kidding me? We can't eat this! We'll just end up losing due to stomach aches and food poison.”

The pink haired girl's face morphed with big tears in her eyes. “Dai-chan! You're so mean!” She cried, and turned to Kuroko, crying on her shoulder.

The light blue haired boy looked at the darker haired boy with disappointment. “That was rude of you, Aomine-kun.” He patted the girl's back in comfort. Then he looked over at the red head. “Kagami-kun, didn't you bring them?”

The red head pulled out bigger boxes, and opened them. Everyone's eyes lighted up in shocked and could feel their mouths watering at the food. “Wh-what is this?” Kise awed, his chopsticks inching towards one box, but unsure if he should pick on it already.

“Sorry I didn't tell you yesterday, Momoi-san, but I asked Kagami-kun if he could make some food. I didn't know you would have made some lunch for us too.” Kuroko apologized.

Aomine picked a piece of meat, looking at it with a scrutinizing gaze. “Are you serious!? Ba-Kagami cooked this?” He blurted in disbelief.

“It's really good!” Takao acclaimed, nearly moaning at the deliciousness. The others, mostly the Generals, looked at the raven haired boy as if he did something blasphemous. Takao blinked, and slowly ate a piece of meat. ' _Well, you guys are just too slow. You can't just not eat something as good as this._ '

Kagami rubbed the back of his head, hiding his small blush. “It's not really, but I'm glad it's okay. I didn't know what to make for outdoors.” He replied almost bashfully. Takao had to quickly look away from the cold looks that were thrown his way. ' _Yeah... honestly, these guys..._ ' He laughed awkwardly to himself, as he stuffed a piece of vegetable in his mouth.

After settling down, and having started eating, Takao turned to the pink haired girl, grinning. “Man, watching them play was just too hilarious.” He thought back.

Momoi sighed. “I guess you can say it was just luck that they made it this far, especially by how they've been playing. But I'm glad they made it to the semi-finals.”

Aomine smirked. “Please, it's because of my superior basketball skills that I was able to carry the team this far.” He raised his chin in a haughty manner.

Ruby eyes instantly glared at the dark blue haired boy. “Yeah right! You're not the only one that has been playing in this team, Ahomine! And you don't have superior skills!” Kagami argued.

“Well, Ki-chan seemed to have been able to catch up to you two, and learned rather quickly.” The blond beamed at the pink haired girl's comment. Momoi looked over at the green haired boy. “Midorin seemed to have a knack for throwing three pointers.”

Midorima huffed, crossing his arms and adjusting his glasses. “Oha-Asa did say that Cancers had the highest luck today, so I have confidence in my throws.”

“And because of Tetsu-kun being able to disappear and go around undetected, was able to help in stealing the balls from the other teams during defense.” Momoi praised the light blue haired boy, who bowed his head, carefully eating a piece of rice from his chopsticks. “Plus, Kagamin has done well to keep the team together and including everyone...” The magenta eyes looked at the dark blue haired boy with embarrassment and shame. She sighed. “However, Aomine-kun...”

Takao started laughing. “Oh man, it too entertaining to see Aomine and Kagami-chan arguing on court, even if they were both in the same team.”

Momoi sighed again. “I was skeptical with two Power Forwards in the same team, especially when they are two idiots and hot heads. Because of their big egos, of course they would clash.” She thought back, while crossing her arms. “The first game was an embarrassment, though they were able to win by three point difference. About half way through the second game, at least the other members have been acknowledged, and you did well on that, Kagamin. Your last games were okay, though it could have gone better.”

“Yeah, if maybe Kagami passed the ball once in a while to me.” Aomine grumbled.

The red head rolled his eyes. “You were hogging the ball all the time it went to you!”

“Well, I think Kagami-cchi and I make a great pair. Remember that cool pass, between those guys, and then you passed it back, and then I helped you get that dunk?” Kise interrupted, grinning widely at the red head. He was moving his hands around with enthusiastic gestures. A few pair of eyes glared at the loud blond.

“I think the ones who could make a perfect combination would be between Tetsu-kun and Kagamin, with their passing and assists to one another.” Momoi input, dispelling the murderous looks towards the blond teen. “Tough, the same could be said with Tetsu-kun and Aomine-kun, but the combination with Tetsu-kun and Kagamin seem more natural and clean.” She looked over at the pair.

“Kind of like their partnership during battles in OW.” Takao pointed out. Then glares were turned to the light blue haired boy. The raven haired teen had to turn his head away to hide and hold in his laugh at the predictable way certain guys were reacting.

Kagami got up from his spot, and stretched. “I'm going to the bathroom.” Then he picked up some empty water bottles. “I'll fill some of these up before our next game.”

Kise threw his hand up, as if he was an eager student in class. “Oh! I'll go with you!”

The red head scrunched his nose. “Uh, no, it's okay. I'll be fine.” He turned around, and then accidentally bumped into someone, dropping the bottles. Kagami looked up and widened his ruby eyes. “Tatsuya!?”

A raven haired male looked up. He had some bangs falling over one side of his face, while the other revealed his wide surprised right eye, with a beauty mark at the corner of his eye. He was considered tall, but fell short to about Kagami's nose. The others recognized that his looks were just in par with the model they had among them. “ _Taiga!? You're here!_ ” The boy exclaimed, speaking in foreign tongue. That was when eyes narrowed hard at the good looking raven haired teen.

“ _Taiga, I wasn't expecting to run into you here._ _What a surprise!_ ” The boy looked around.

“ _You don't look surprised... still with that poke face..._ ” The red head slightly fidgeted in place, watching the raven haired boy. “ _What are you doing back here in Japan, Tatsuya?_ ” He spoke in a quieter tone. To the side, his group of friends nearly had their jaws dropped to the ground, having heard the red head speak in fluent English, as they recognized. Kuroko inwardly berated himself, forgetting that Kagami was a returnee, and was thrown back from hearing him speak English so well. ' _But then, why does his grades always suck badly in English class?_ ' Their whole Clan would wonder.

“ _It's some family issues._ ” The good looking boy replied, with a fake smile. “ _Something you wouldn't know about, since it has been 2 years since we last seen each other._ ” Kagami stiffened in place, which the others recognized that their friend has become slightly awkward and uncomfortable.

“ _Hello. Kagami-kun friend?_ ” Kuroko spoke up in a heavy accent, with his tongue rolling at the word of greeting. Kagami and his English speaking friend both jumped in surprise when the light blue haired boy suddenly appeared beside the red head.

“It's okay to speak in Japanese, I could understand and speak fluently.” Inwardly Kuroko and the others sighed in relief. “I'm Himuro Tatsuya. And you could say I'm Taiga's older brother.” He introduced himself. Everyone looked surprised, having just heard about Kagami having a brother. But then they had some confusion when they looked between the two.

“Nice to meet you, Himuro-san.” Kuroko bowed politely. “I am Kuroko Tetsuya, friend and classmate to Kagami-kun.” Then he looked over to their group of friends, sitting in their makeshift picnic area. “And these are also friends of Kagami-kun: Momoi Satsuki, Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, Midorima Shintarou, and Takao Kazunari.” They all showed signs of a greeting towards the older boy.

“Hm... why do you all sound and look familiar?” Himuro shrugged, and looked at the red head. “You have a lot of nice friends, Taiga.” Kagami stiffly nodded. “Well, since you are here, it's a perfect opportunity to fulfill out promise, don't you think?”

The red head fidgeted, clenching his fist, and nodded. “Yeah...”

The older raven haired teen glanced over at the others, then back at Kagami. “Then hope to see you on the court at the finals.” He lightly waved and walked away.

After watching his brother disappear into the crowd, he was instantly hounded and attacked by Momoi, Takao and Kise, firing questions. “Oh my gosh! Your brother!?” “Promise? What promise?” “You can speak English!?”

It took awhile to pull the three off of Kagami, and to settle down, back at their circle. The red head rubbed his temple, frowning. “I moved to America when I was in grade school, because of my dad's work. Because I was the new kid, making friends was awkward, especially when you couldn't speak the language very well, and with a heavy accent. That's when I met Himuro Tatsuya, the first person to approach me, and he knew how to speak Japanese, so it because easier. He invited me to play basketball... and that's how I learned and spent most of my time playing the game...” There was a nostalgic look upon his face. “Almost everyday we played, and he taught me everything. We became so close, we were like brothers. And so, to commemorate it, we got matching rings.” He reached up and toyed with the ring hanging on the chain around his neck. “But then, because he was a year older, he graduated from grade school before me. So there was a year that we haven't interacted much with each other.”

The red head rubbed the back of his neck, while avoiding in looking up at his companions. “When we did meet, it was to a street ball game... and for the first time I beat him in a game. That's when we started a competition against one another, keeping score. Then we came to a point where we were tied, 49 to 49... and then Tatsuya declared that to break the tie, if he loses... we'll stop being brothers...” Kagami sighed. “I did something stupid and threw the game. Got punched for it, and he then declared that the next game will put our rings on the line... and...” They all began to understand the ring the boy wore around his neck. “However, I moved with my dad back here to Japan, and we kind of never had that rematch...”

“What an idiot.” Aomine snorted.

“Definitely an idiot.” Midorima commented.

“A very big idiot.” Kuroko added.

Kagami weakly glared at the group, who were all nodding in agreement after hearing his story. He knew that he was one. They all just didn't have to affirm it, as if they were rubbing salt into his wounds. “How disappointing of you, Kagami-cchi.” Kise sighed. “It's not very sportsmanlike, throwing a game like that.”

“It's very shameful.” Momoi spoke. “I mean, we understand your feelings on it all. And on a sport that you both really love. But you can't just give up on a game with a rival.”

Kuroko stared deeply into those ruby eyes. “Besides... even if you don't get to call each other brothers anymore, doesn't mean that you both won't be important to each other.” The red head bit the inside of his cheek.

“And so, what will you do then, _when_ we make it to the finals, and you might have to face that brother of yours?” Aomine asked, his expression aloof, but with narrowed eyes towards the red head. “Because, if you're going to play half-assed, then I would rather have him replace you.” He gestured at the raven haired boy with his thumb. Takao looked surprised, and then ducked his head at the attention. The dark blue haired boy frowned. “I hate to lose, and we're going to win this stupid tournament, you got that?” He then gestured to the others. “And I'm sure they want to win too, since they sacrificed their time to join our team, even if they have basketball skills of a baby.”

Kagami threw his hands up in defense. “I know! I know! I got it already!” He sighed. “But it's not like I wouldn't play seriously when we do ever face him here.” He looked up at his companions. “It's... kind of fun playing with you guys, even if most of you kind of suck...” Kise and Midorima made a small remark to his jab, while Kuroko just shrugged intensely with his wide blank eyes, as if sending silent messages. Aomine snorted and rolled his eyes. But the four of them had a light in their eyes. “We're a team now, and I know that if I didn't play my all, you'll beat the crap out of me...” Kagami rubbed the back of his head, bowing his head, hiding his growing blush.

“... But... I really don't want to let any of you down... I'm kind of happy you're all here. Getting to share a sport that I really like with you guys, even if you didn't know how play it.” He mostly grumbled, while glaring off to the side, having a hard time spilling out his honest feelings to them. Such words and action caused the others to also flush. But the moment was quickly broken when the red head suddenly looked up, glaring at Aomine. “And I still have to rack up more points than you by the end of this tournament, Aho!”

Aomine snorted. “Yeah right, like you will! And I'm turning it into a bet! If I get more points than you, you're going to be my servant for a month!”

“No way!”

“What, are you scared? It just means we both know I'm better than you.”

“I'm not scared! I'll take your bet! And I'll be the one winning!”

Behind the two arguing hot heads, the others had light expressions on their faces. But Momoi and Takao saw the small hints of jealousy, especially at the darker blue haired boy, for successfully pulling Kagami away from the growing thick atmosphere. The two turned to each other and sighed, shaking their heads with a smile. Their group as become some kind of weird dramatic comedy.

 

* * *

 

At the opposite ends of the court stood two different team, but surprisingly within high school level. The odd team of colorful heads had made it to the finals, and in front of them was the team that they were anticipating to play against, which had one Himuro Tatsuya, Kagami's claimed older brother. The red head was mostly surrounded by the band of colorful heads, and each one were giving narrowed, cold stares towards the handsome raven haired teen. The older boy raised a brow, slightly inclining his head to one side. “Good luck to you and your team, Taiga.” Himuro called.

To the side, Momoi was closely watching Kagami's older brother with wide calculating eyes. “Himuro-san is a very good player.” She murmured. “From watching all his previous matches, he's almost like Aomine-kun and Kagamin...”

Takao glanced over at the team's self appointed Coach/Manager/Strategist. “What are the odds in our team winning?” He questioned.

The girl frowned, and narrowed her eyes. “It's really hard to tell. The team that Himuro-san is on are really decent players, and they work okay together.” Then she looked over at their team. There was some arguing among them. “Our team got lucky, with three beginners, and two hot heads that are playing more like rivals on the court than teammates.” She sighed. “It's kind of a miracle that our team made it to the finals, really.”

“Muro-chin~” A loud and dull voice spoke out loud, beside the pair. Momoi and Takao looked up, and widened their eyes at the almost giant standing close to them. The pink haired girl gasped.

Himuro looked over, and his expression softened a little, recognizing the giant that was calling. “Atsushi.” There were some protests from the referees when the tall male walked into the court, and came up to the raven haired teen.

All the Generals froze in place, recognizing the very tall purple haired teen. Kagami blinked, and then narrowed his eyes, sensing the uneasiness from the guys around him. “Murasakibara-kun.” Murasakibara-cchi!” “Muk-kun!”

The purple haired teen looked over, raising his brows in surprise. “Oh, it's you guys.” He came up to them, and raised his hand. “Why are you all here, I wonder?” Then his big hand plopped on top of Kuroko's head, and started to ruffle it. The light blue haired boy frowned, and smacked the hand away. Murasakibara just hummed in amusement.

Takao saw the tenseness and uneasiness around the former Kiseki Clan members. They were all cautiously watching the tallest among them, even though they were idly chatting with him, with very few words exchanged among them. That's when he caught a glimpse of it. ' _It's there... that darkness..._ ' He shuddered, just as the pink haired girl beside him did too.

“Muro-chin, why did you go away? Can't we go back now?” The tall purple haired boy complained.

Himuro gave a small smile. “Sorry, but I found something very interesting, and look, you met up with your former classmates.” He gestured to the four colorful haired boys, standing across from them. “And we are in the middle of a game, Atsushi.” He saw the referees getting impatient and mad at the sudden intrusion. “How about this, if you help me win this tournament, I'll share with you the prize money, and we'll buy as much treats and snacks you want.”

The purple haired teen hummed. Himuro turned to the guys he teamed up with. “Sorry, but this guy will be very useful in the team, especially with someone with his height.” He smiled at them.

Kagami scowled, and bowed his head slightly. “Does he even know how to play basketball?” He asked quietly to his teammates.

“Not really.” There was a grave tone that Aomine held. The red head got a little worried. “But something tells me that we'll have to be very careful around him.” He had a chill go down his back, and he shuddered.

“An unmotivated Murasakibara is already strong... but a motivated one can be... very chaotic.” Midorima spoke, closely watching the other team, as they were discussing something. He saw a dark glint in the violet haired boy's eyes, especially when snacks were mentioned earlier.

The game continued, and Kagami came face to face with his claimed older brother. Himuro grinned. “Just like old times, right Taiga?”

The red head glanced over his shoulder, and saw Murasakibara standing under the basket at the other side of the court. He frowned, turning back to the raven haired teen. “What kind of game are you guys playing?” He grumbled.

Nothing was said, and Himuro caught the ball passed to him. He tried to make a move, but Kagami moved just as quickly, putting up a good defense. When Himuro was about to feint, the ball was stolen from him. He looked to see that Kuroko was able to steal it, and quickly passed it off to Kise, who was running down the court to the opponent's basket.

The blond looked up, and suddenly felt slightly intimidated when he was coming closer to Murasakibara, who just stood there with his arms out wide, under the basket. “Kise!” The boy caught movement from the corner of his eye, and quickly passed it to Aomine.

The dark haired teen appeared behind the purple haired teen, and went for the jump. With a battle cry, he goes for the dunk. However, in a blink of an eye, Murasakibara came between him and the basket, his large hand raised, and slammed the ball away. The force of the action knocked Aomine down. All eyes were wide with shock, especially the Generals and Momoi most of all.

Himuro caught the ball. “Good one, Atsushi!” He ran across the court, and stopped at the three point line, effortlessly shooting it into the basket. The crowd cheered when the team earned three points.

Momoi shook her head, and threw her arm out. “T-Time out!” Shouting for the attention of the referee. The whistles blew, and the game went on pause.

Walking over to the sideline where the pink haired girl was waiting, Kagami saw the foreboding expressions from the four Miraculous Generals. When they got close, pulling their heads together in a huddle, Momoi looking at each other, trying to hide her dread. “We all can't say that we didn't imagine it...” She spoke, cutting through the tension. “But Muk-kun used it... there was darkness put into stopping that ball...”

Aomine gritted his teeth. “There's no way he could have normally stopped the ball like that. Maybe he could have stopped me... but that intensity was too much, even for a lazy guy like him.”

Ruby eyes glanced over and witnessed a small film of darkness surrounding the tall purple haired boy. Kagami shuddered, and looked away.

“Everyone, please be careful out there.” Momoi prayed. Then her magenta eyes turned and narrowed towards Aomine and Kagami. “Listen, if we all want to win this, then you two especially have to work together and use your heads!” The two looked at each other, narrowing their eyes with scowls on their faces.

The game continued, the ball came into Midorima's hands. He looked around, and quickly passed before the opponent came rushing towards him. Kise caught the ball, being open, and not nosily calling out for the ball, unlike two certain players that were almost practically surrounded by their opponents. The blond male quickly moved around the court, dribbling, and showing off the newly found skills of dribbling in style, while maneuvering around to avoid the ball being stolen and turned over to the other team. Then someone blocked the blond, causing him to step back a little. “Pass the ball!”

Golden eyes glanced around, and saw a movement from the corner of his eyes. He also ignored the jumping two hot heads of their team, who still had their marks closely blocking the way. Kise smirked, and passed it to the green haired boy. Just when Midorima was about to catch it, the ball was bounced away, shocking their opponents. Aomine caught it, and he smirked. “Good one, Tetsu.” He saw Kuroko running away, ducking behind a tall opponent.

The dark blue haired boy spun around to avoid getting the ball stolen, and made a mad dash towards the basket. He glared when he was met up with the tall purple haired former clansmen. “We're going to win.” Aomine hissed.

Murasakibara stood with an imposing dark aura, who narrowed his eyes. “Seeing you all like hopeful idiots...” He raised his arms up. “Makes me want to crush you.”

Aomine growled, and jumped, just as the purple haired boy did. But then, he did the unthinkable, causing all their teammates to stare at him with gaping mouths. He passed the ball, and to Kagami who was close to them. “I'm not that selfish!” He sneered. “I can be a team player when I want to be!”

Kagami snorted, a smirk on his lips. With a battle cry, he jumped up to force the ball into the basket. But the bigger teen came up and blocked the ball. The red head was struggling to push it in, in a battle of sheer strength with the bigger guy, using both of his hands. From behind, another hand aided in trying to out power Murasakibara. Kagami saw it was Aomine, who was gritting his teeth, determined to get that point.

Sapphire blue eyes widened in horror, seeing a film of darkness oozing out from his former clansmen. ' _What the hell!?_ ' He can feel that they were losing to the purple haired giant. But then there was a warmth that went through him, and he blinked in surprise, feeling the strong will to keep fighting, and push harder to overcome the obstacle in front of them. It was giving him strength.

Suddenly the ball popped out from their hands, shooting it up to the air. Kagami, Aomine and Murasakibara collided. At that moment of distraction, Midorima blinked when the ball came into his hands. “Shoot!” “Shoot it, Shin-chan!” Shouted Momoi and Takao.

The green haired teen stepped back behind the three point line, and went into shooting position. There were the rush of shouts from the spectators, and Kise and Kuroko running to aid the green head, by trying to stop the coming opponents to block him. A drop fell on his glasses, obscuring his vision. Midorima's eye twitched, and more drops fell.

It was if someone pressed the pause button, when the tension and hype was suddenly dispelled. Everyone was looking around in confusion, and then the cloud released the heavy downpour. Everyone started to run towards shelter from the rain.

“Due to rain, the match will be momentarily stopped.” A voice sounded from the speakers. “Participants, please returned to the stand!”

Himuro looked to Kagami, both standing and getting soaked by the rain. “Looks like our competition will have to be on hold, Taiga.”

“Tatsuya.”

The raven haired teen closed his visible eye. Murasakibara came up to the boy. “Muro-chin, can we leave now?” The bigger boy whined. He glanced up, looking at his former clansmen. “Hm~? You all have changed... something is different.” He commented, nonchalantly. They all fidgeted. Violet eyes narrowed at the four distinctive colored haired boys. “I've heard you have recently lost in battles. Defeat must have changed you all, weaken all of you.” Then the boy shrugged his shoulders, turned around to walk away. “Like I care~”

Himuro turned to the one he called a brother. “Taiga, I believe we may run into each other, especially at the Other World.” Kagami widened his eyes. The raven haired boy glanced over at the red head's friends. “I'm sure you know about it too, and discovered you're a Chosen, since you have surrounded yourself with the former clansmen of Atsushi.” The older teen closed his visible eye. “And I have sensed for a while that you were one too. I wonder how recently you have found out about it.” He murmured.

Kagami sharply looked at his brother, narrowing his eyes. “Since when have you know that I was a Chosen? And why wasn't it ever mentioned to me before, when I'm sure you knew about the consequences?”

The raven haired boy opened his eyes, and placed a finger upon his lips, as if he was keeping a secret. With a strained smile that Kagami knew didn't reach the older boy's eye, Himuro waved, and turned around to follow after the tall purple haired boy. “I'm kind of excited to see what kind of fighter you are, Taiga.” Then he paused, and looked over his shoulder. “You know what? I think it would be better that instead of basketball, we'll settle our promise on the battle field, as Chosen from the Other World.” Then he walked away.

Feeling his stomach drop, Kagami shakily watched when Himuro jogged to catch up to Murasakibara. His vision slightly begins to blur and sting, unsure if it was from the rain that fell to his eyes. But then ruby orbs widened a fraction. What he saw was that not only was the purple haired boy surrounded by a dark aura, but it was also surrounding his proclaimed older brother. Kagami clenched his fists tightly, and gritted his teeth. ' _Tatsuya..._ '

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((And they have appeared, the Yousen Double Ace. It has been my plan all along that Kagami and Himuro's relationship stay the same as cannon... well as close to it as possible, with their love for basketball. So why not have a reunion when it involves basketball? Kagami and Aomine has their first meeting through it... but then again, I'm kind of bias to AoKaga *cough*As if it wasn't noticeable throughout this whole chapter... Ahem...
> 
> Real life has kicked me on the butt very very hard, so I wasn't able to update so soon. So, updates are going to be sporadic, so please be patient with me. I don't know why the outline turned out long, but I'm determined to finish this story. It will take some time, but I'm hoping it will end quicker... but that means lots of mess ups and holes in the story that I may not be able to cover, because there is so much depth into it that I had outlined and plotted... Ugh...
> 
> Anyways, I know a lot of you have been asking for it, and here it is. A treat as some of you return to school. Hope you enjoyed this really really long chapter. I checked, this is the longest one, heh.))
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko's Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> **Other World Tournaments** – a way to gain a higher rank, earn rare prizes, and gain recognition through out the lands, by testing out strength, power and skills of a fighter through team battles.  
>  =Tournaments occur for every season. They are usually a week long event. They are then divided within the season, depending on Clan and Team Ranks. There are three divisions in the Tournament: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Bronze Tournament is for Teams within Ranks II or III. Silver is for Rank IV teams, while Gold is for Rank V. However, each division can only allow two Teams in the Tournament. So usually, for bigger Clans, they have their own little tournaments to choose the strongest Teams to enter, two Teams per division. Also, the whole Clan Rank can also decide the highest division on the tournament the are allowed to enter.  
> = = Example: (with a bigger Clan) Wahr Clan is a Rank IV, however Kise's Team is Rank III. So all Rank III and Rank II in their Clan have to decide which two will be able to participate in the Bronze Tournament. Those Teams in Rank IV of Wahr Clan, will have to also decided the two teams to participate in the Silver Tournaments. Since the Clan is only a Rank IV, the Clan cannot enter in the Gold Tournament.  
> =So when it comes to the finals, there is a possibility that two teams from the same clan would face each other to win the whole Tournament.  
> =Also there are requirements they have to met in order to enter into the tournament. They must successfully conquer a set number of Dungeons, and also win some Clan battles, both formal and informal.  
> =It's not uncommon for some Rank I Teams to enter, only if the Clan Rank is Rank II or lower. However the requirements to enter are said to be more difficult to meet, and they have to pass certain tests and enter into preliminary battles. The Elder Clan would only allow two Rank I Teams into the Bronze Tournament (and last year, Etoile Clan was one of those that did)


	15. The Gathering

 

Several sets of eyes all narrowed with seriousness, as tension started to flood the room. There were frowns growing upon the present clan members' lips. Aida slightly shifted in her chair, looking directly at the light blue haired boy across from the big round table. At either side of the Leader of Etoile was Hyuuga and Kiyoshi. Izuki was two seats away from Kuroko, while beside the youngest male was Koganei, with Mitobe next to him. Tsuchida was directly across from Izuki. The seven eldest clan members of Etoile gathered together in the meeting room with the former titled Miraculous General, albeit the said Phantom Sixth General. “And Kagami-kun ran into another one of the Miraculous Generals, Murasakibara Atsushi, as well as this brother of Kagami's, Himuro Tatsuya?” The only female in the room spoke, cutting through the thick tension in the air.

Kuroko nodded. “Yes.”

Hyuuga frowned. “Just how dangerous is this Murasakibara Atsushi?” He glanced over at the tallest male in the room, at the other side of their Leader. “I think I recalled you, Kiyoshi, mentioning that you have encountered him before, right?” He raised a brown with question.

Eyes narrowed, and the playfulness in the male's expression fell. “Yeah, and he has every right to be known as the top Knight of OW.” Kiyoshi slowly exhaled, and closed his eyes. “If I think back on it, there was definitely something cold about him, and very dangerous.”

Kuroko bowed his head. “There was a reason why he was said to be a natural Knight, having the strength and defense that topped nearly everyone in Kiseki Clan, even surpassing the strength of Aomine-kun. However, because of his attitude and laziness, he rarely used that talent and abilities.” He looked back up at his upperclassmen. “And that darkness has grown worse... maybe worse than what Aomine-kun had.”

“And you said that it may have also influenced this Himuro, just like the darkness around Aomine influenced his whole team.” Izuki spoke up. Kuroko nodded, and suddenly the others became wary, their expressions troubled. “Then there will be a possibility that the darkness influenced the rest of Murasakibara's team...”

Screens suddenly popped up in front of Aida, and a bead of sweat formed on her temple. “Murasakibara Atsushi joined the Déntro Clan, Squad Epsilon, Team I which are Ranked IV.” She glanced up at each of her clansmen. “And their whole Clan has been known for their ultimate defense, being one of the only clans to have withstood the conquests of the whole OW from the Kiseki Clan.”

Koganei became pale. “What are we going to do if we ever encounter them? Déntro Clan is definitely not a cakewalk, and with one of the Miraculous Generals in their Clan, we'll easily be ran over... maybe worse than what Aomine Daiki did to us.”

“Hey! Hey!” Hyuuga shot up to stand from his chair, slamming his hands on the table. “Our main focus right now is not on Déntro or Murasakibara.” He spoke out loudly, breaking the tension. “We have a goal of winning the Bronze Tournament.”

Kiyoshi smiled widely. “Hyuuga is right. And there is no possibility of running into Déntro Clan or Murasakibara, because of their Rank. They will most likely enter into the Silver Tournament. We have to worry more about our opponents that we will face in the Bronze Tournament.”

Izuki hummed. “Like the Wahr and Anima Clans, right? Also all the other Clans that we have encountered that may want their revenged against us.”

Aida sighed, but there was a light smile upon her expression. “Also, we have the problems involved with Kagami to think about during the Tournament.” She sighed again, rubbing her temple. “It'll be unavoidable if we encounter Wahr and-or Anima since we would want to advance in the tournament and win it. Also if we do have to face them,” Aida glanced over at Izuki, then briefly looked over at Mitobe and Tsuchida. “It will be inevitable that Kagami-kun will be dragged out into the battles.” She clicked her tongue, frowning. “If it were up to me, I would rather avoid fighting any battle with a Miraculous General publicly, especially in front of the Elder Clan.”

Kuroko, having been silent the whole time, carefully watched his clan leader. ' _Aida-sempai is a firm believer that the Elder Clan dissolved the Kiseki Clan because of their fear of the Generals' growing powers... she also believes that they will do something to Kagami-kun if she's discovered by them..._ '

“What I don't understand is why the Elder Clan hasn't noticed this darkness around the generals.” Tsuchida spoke up. All attention turned to the usually quiet brunet. “And even if they did notice it, why not try to at least stop it from further taking control of the Generals that could lead them to grow stronger? Kuroko did mention many times that they have all changed and grew tremendously stronger in just under a year from when he last was part of their Clan.”

Aida nodded. “I have wondered that many times as well.” She crossed her arms, frowning. “If Kagami-kun didn't show up to stop half of the Generals, shouldn't the Elders have thought out and already be on alert that the Generals would eventually fight one another and possibly cause worse chaos when they are against each other, than when they were all together in one team?”

Kuroko slightly bowed his head, bangs curtaining his eyes. “I believe something happened in that meeting between the Generals and the Elder Clan, before the whole Kiseki Clan became dissolved... but no one remembers, and I wouldn't know because I left the Clan before that meeting.”

“Let's not worry about all of this right now, after all our priority right now is winning the tournament.” Kiyoshi casually spoke up, breaking the growing tense silence.

“On top of trying to prevent our resident idiot from trying to show off her unpredictable powers to the Elder Clan and everyone else in OW.” Hyuuga grumbled, then groaned. “Honestly, even if we tell her several times, she's too stubborn and determined to win, and will, without a doubt, cast out all her irregular and extraordinary abilities. I mean, just like her, we would all want to win this, after all.”

“I believe it's the most advantageous idea for all of us to place Kagami-kun as a reserve.” Kuroko told, then looked over at Izuki, Mitobe and Tsuchida. “Our team will have to work hard to prevent Kagami-kun from entering into battles, if it is what will it take to protect her.”

Izuki grinned. “Oh, does our kohai not have faith in his sempai?” He lightly teased.

“No, I have the utmost faith that we can win without pulling Kagami-kun on to the field.” The youngest boy replied earnestly. The three older male assigned in Kuroko's team for the tournament all smiled, and glanced at one another with determination. “And I also believe that we will be able to defeat Etoile Clan's second Team.”

Kiyoshi burst out laughing. Aida giggled. Koganei stood up from his seat, pumping his fists. “Bring it on!” He shouted, pointing daringly at the youngest in the room.

Hyuuga was grinning widely, seeing the determined looks from his clansmen in the room. “Cheeky brat.” He muttered, then rubbed the back of his head. ' _Need to pray that things will go well and go our way this time, especially when it comes to that idiot Kagami._ '

 

* * *

 

The grand Imperial City was alive with activities at every corner. People were crowding around the streets, with booths and decorations all up, attracting many people. There were balloons, streamers and confetti. It was just like a lively festival. And most of the stream of people were heading to the main events at the Arena Park.

Among the sea of people was a tall red haired female Knight. She was slightly pouting, as she aimlessly just followed the flow of the walking crowd towards the Arena Park. ' _Can't believe that Ahomine is not part of the Bronze Tournament... but then I guess it's kind of understandable why their Team Rank is a four..._ ' She begrudgingly admitted to her self. ' _At least Kise and Midorima are in the Bronze Tournament._ ' She was grinning widely, her eyes narrowed with excitement for the challenge. ' _They did declare getting their revenge against us. Just have to prove that we're still the best._ ' Then her expression slowly fell. ' _And that Murasakibara is a Rank IV... and the last Miraculous General is a Rank V... according to Momoi..._ '

The red haired girl looked up, and then blinked her eyes several times. She started looking around, not recognizing anyone at all. “Wh-what!?” She turned around, trying to find a familiar face, but only saw disgruntled expressions on the people trying to swerve around her, as she was causing traffic in the flow of the crowd. ' _Don't... don't tell me I lost everyone!?_ ' She fretted, and then pushed her way to the side of the flow of traffic.

Kagami went to her toes, and raised her chin, looking over the heads of the people. ' _Kiyoshi-sempai is really tall... I... I don't think I can see him..._ ' She cursed, and fell back to her heels. ' _I'll just have to make my way to the Arena Park then..._ ' She sighed out loud. ' _And accept the scolding that they'll give me..._ ' She took one step, and then suddenly froze in place. A shudder ran down her whole body, and her stomach started to flip. Kagami slapped a hand over her mouth, feeling a sickness wash over her.

“Kagami.”

The girl widened her eyes, and quickly looked up at the call of her name. She stepped back in surprise. “Midorima.”

Green eyes narrowed, observing the tall red head before him. “Something wrong?” The tall green head suddenly questioned.

Kagami took another step back at the sudden worry the tall male had towards her. “Huh?” She was nearly lost for words.

Midorima scowled, and crossed his arms, adjusting his glasses. “Che. You just look pitiful and lost standing here.”

' _Then why stop here and bother?_ ' Her mind questioned, as she stared at the green haired boy, frowning. “I don't look pitiful, bastard!” She growled.

The bespectacled male raised a brow, then turned towards the direction that everybody was heading to. “Going to the Arena Park, then?” He lightly questioned, and started walking. He heard heels clicking against the cobblestone street, following closely behind him.

“It's not like I don't need you to show me how to get there.” She grumbled, despite sticking close to the tall male. There was a snort of a response from the boy in front of her. For some reason, she could feel her face suddenly get warmer.

There was a gasp, and a loud shout. “Kagami-cchi!”

The red head was attacked by a tight embrace, and she was nearly lifted up from the ground. Kagami turned to find her vision invaded by golden hair. “K-Kise!” She nearly choked.

“Oi! And you tell me I'm the one doing the harassing!” A deep voice growled, before the blond was roughly wrenched away from the red haired girl.

Kagami lost her balance, and bumped into something hard. She looked up, and instantly scowled. “Aomine.” She took a big step back away from the tall dark blue haired male.

Kise jumped away, and glared at the tanned boy. “Aomine-cchi! You meanie!” He pouted. Midorima resisted from groaning, seeing his two former clansmen. Aomine, with his usual bored expression, stuck a pinky to his ear, and looked off to the side, ignoring the cries of his former clansmen.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” The red head grumbled. Kagami saw behind the three tall boys some fighters in their costumes glancing over, especially the whispering girls that stuck close together. The female Knight frowned, ignoring the small heat that suddenly warmed her cheeks. She tried to glare at the three titled Miraculous Generals.

Kise beamed. “I saw Kagami-cchi, so I went to greet you!” He chirped. “You ready for our rematch, Kagami-cchi?” His eyes narrowed with determination, and a grin formed upon his lips. “I'll beat you fair and square this time!”

Kagami scoffed. “Yeah right! No way we'll let you win against us!” Then she turned to the tall dark blue haired male. “And you? Did you get lost?” Annoyance was present in her expression. Running into one Miraculous Generals was already bad enough. Now she was currently surrounded by three of them, and for some reason, she wasn't as annoyed as she has always thought and made herself look to be. That's what irritated Kagami even more. But all of their eccentric personalities were kind of rubbing her the wrong way, causing her to feel more annoyed.

Aomine returned the same expression back to the red haired girl. “No. This idiot just started dragging me around when he found me. He made me lose my team.” Blue eyes looked over at the golden haired boy. “Most likely he got lost from his own team.”

“That's not true!” Kise childishly whined, while trying to hide that Aomine was kind of saying the truth. “I did not lose my team! There was a swarm of girls that came up to me, and my team left me! They didn't wait for me!” He nearly cried. Three sets of deadpanned eyes stared at the blond. Then they simultaneously turned away from Kise, and made their way far from the blond. “Hey! You meanies! Don't ignore me!”

Aomine then jabbed his thumb towards Midorima's direction. “And you?”

The green haired male adjusted his glasses higher. “I'm not obligated to tell, but if you must know, I was buying my lucky item. I told my team to go ahead without me.” Midorima grumbled almost grudgingly.

Kagami blinked, and looked down at the little rock figure that was like a little creature, then snorted. “What is that thing? It doesn't suit you at all!” She laughed, grabbing Midorima's wrist, and pulled the object to observe it, still holding on to the tallest male's wrist. “It's too cute!”

Midorima jerked his wrist away, and adjusted his glasses again with his free hand. “It's none of your business.” He hissed.

“What, you don't think your team would win this tournament, that's why you got this lucky item?” The red haired Knight mused.

Clicking his tongue, Midorima narrowed his eyes at the girl, with a deep frown. “Our team will definitely win. And if we do run into your team, we will beat you. Last time, it was unfortunate that Cancers' rank was low.” He lightly exhaled, and turned his head away. The other three were giving him odd looks.

Suddenly there was a jab to Kagami's side, and she jumped right into Kise and Aomine with a loud yelp. The three were nearly toppled down to the ground, but they caught their bearings, and looked over. There stood Kuroko, and they yelped again in surprise. “Kuroko(-cchi)!” They all shouted together.

Aomine quickly grabbed the boy, wrapping his arm around the boy's neck, and rubbing his knuckles on top of Kuroko's head. “What's the big idea, Kuroko!?”

Kagami was hissing, while rubbing her aching side that was jabbed. The light blue haired boy didn't seem to be bothered by Aomine's action. He looked up at the red haired girl. “Everyone is looking for you, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko said in a soft berating tone. “The sempai are all frantic and angry.”

The red head fidgeted, and rubbed the back of her head. “I thought so.” She mumbled with dread. Then suddenly it felt as if everything turned cold. Kagami started to have a hard time breathing, her throat nearly closing. Her stomach started to flip around, and she became nauseous. ' _W-what...?_ ' Her knees were starting to feel wobbly.

Kuroko blinked, and noticed the red haired girl. “Kagami-kun, are you okay?” He questioned, and all attention turned to the female Knight.

Kagami shook her head, and weakly stood up straight, giving a small smile. “It's nothing... it will pass.”

Midorima frowned. “This happened earlier.” The others turned back to the girl with frowns and hidden worry.

The girl raised her hand. “I'm telling you, it's noth-” Slowly her eyes widened, looking past all the boys. They all saw her face paled, and she shuddered. Then a chilling feeling crept up from behind them, and they all felt the hairs on the back of their necks prickle. They all slowly turned around, and widened their eyes a fraction.

“Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko slowly let the name roll off his tongue, being the only one to break the high tension that was building around them. The tall purple haired boy looked over at their group with his usual lazy eyes, with a candy in his mouth. Murasakibara nonchalantly waved.

Then all eyes focused on the figure standing in front of the purple haired boy. The four Miraculous Generals all held their breaths when the shorter male stepped forward. Kagami bowed her head, and pressed her hand over her nose and mouth. ' _What the hell? What is this disgusting feeling?_ ' She thought, feeling sick.

Kuroko pulled his gaze from ahead, and looked over at his clansman. The light blue haired boy placed a gentle hand on the girl's upper arm. His eyes slightly widened a fraction upon seeing his own hand trembling. Kuroko pulled his hand away, and then turned back at the male in front of Murasakibara. ' _What is he doing here?_ ' He saw his other former clansman around him standing tense.

“Akashi(-kun)(-cchi).” The four boys greeted nearly quietly, trying to hide their nervous and cautious tone towards the boy. There stood a boy, taller than Kuroko, but shorter than Kise, with bright red hair. What made Kagami feel worse was staring at the mismatched pair of eyes, ruby and gold. He stood with his head held high, and his arms crossed, with the aura exuding authority.

“I see that everyone is here.” The voice was sharp with a tinge of coldness, that held power that couldn't be questioned or disobeyed. Hetero-chromatic eyes swept across the faces of his former clansmen. “It has been a while since we have last seen one another.” There was a small curve down at the corner of his lips. “Although, our reunion would have turned out better if there was no outsiders among us.” The words turned cold.

Kuroko, Kise, Aomine and Midorima all shifted at the same time after those words, moving closer to the red haired girl that was behind them all. A brow rose, with mismatched eyes closely observing his former clansmen, having not missed their tiny reaction. Akashi then closed his eyes. “I wish all of you good luck in your tournaments, though it's unfortunate that none of you will have the chance to battle against my new team.” Then slowly, ruby and gold eyes were open, then narrowed dangerously. “You've all changed.” His voice became low, causing the four to stiffen in place.

“I see you have all grown weak since our Kiseki days.” Akashi's face nearly contorted, with a deep frown and glaring eyes. “It's disgusting.”

“Kagami! Kuroko!” A voice called out, pulling everyone out from the thick tension in the atmosphere. Both called persons turned and saw the familiar friendly brunet from their clan, Furihata. He gave a relieved smile, and waved at them, pushing through the crowd to the side where his two clansmen stood. “Everyone is looking for you two! You're both going to be in big troub-” The boy suddenly stopped in his sentence, suddenly shivering and realizing the tense atmosphere that he intruded in. He turned his head, and trembled terribly at the sight of the hetero-chromatic red head. ' _W-who? No wait... it can't be! W-why are they all h-here!? W-what's going on!?_ '

Closing his eyes, Akashi turned away from the group. “We shall meet again.” He spoke out, no one moving from their spot. “I'd like to see just how much you all _changed_.” Then he walked away, with Murasakibara silently trailing behind. They disappeared into the flow of the people.

Nearly gasping for air, Kagami reached her hand over her heart, and clenched her hand into a fist. “That... was suffocating...” She hoarsely whispered shakily. Kuroko, having heard the girl, had a worried expression, and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

Then four pairs of eyes looked up into one another, with frowns on their expressions. ' _That person was no longer like their former captain, Akashi Seijuurou_ ,' all four seemed to share the same thought.

Sighing out loud, breaking the tension, Kise slightly pouted, and looked over at the dark blue haired boy. “Well, I wish you luck in your tournament, Aomine-cchi, especially when you have to face against Murasakibara-cchi.”

Aomine scoffed. “I don't need luck.”

A hand clutched on to the hem of his vest, tugging it slightly, and the tanned male looked over to see that the owner of that hand was the red haired Knight. There was a frown upon her lips, and her eyes were cast down, avoiding in looking up at Aomine. “Though I hate to admit it, but you're a great fighter, and your Team is also strong... but...” Kagami's jaw was tense, and her hold on the boy's clothing tightened. “There's something about that Murasakibara...”

The dark blue haired boy took the girl's hand, pulling it away from his vest. He was fighting hard to hide the in coming blush from such gesture and action from the strange gender changing Knight. “I already know that. And I don't really need anyone telling me to be careful, especially around that Murasakibara.” Aomine could feel three pairs of eyes burning holes at his head from receiving a form of concern from the red haired girl.

Kagami angrily huffed, and jerked her hand away from the bigger hand. “Why are you so...!?” She growled, and suddenly turned around to her two clansmen. “Let's go Kuroko, Furihata!” She started to stomp away from the group. Kuroko bowed, and pulled Furihata along to follow their female clansman.

“Can't wait for our revenge battle against you, Kuroko-cchi! Kagami-cchi!” Kise shouted.

Kagami looked over her shoulder, and smirked. “Hah! We'll totally beat you!” She shouted back, then disappeared into the flow of the people with her two shorter clansmen.

The three that were left behind slowly formed frowns upon their lips, the atmosphere around them becoming heavy. “Kagami... shouldn't have met with Akashi.” Aomine grumbled. There were silent replies of agreement within all three boys' eyes.

Midorima adjusted his glassed higher, crossing his arms over his chest. “No doubt that he knows that she is possibly something to us.”

Kise bowed his head. “Do you think that Akashi-cchi knows... that this darkness is gone within us?” He looked up at his former clansmen. “Could he even be aware that we had this darkness since we were still in Kiseki Clan?” He wondered.

“Nothing gets past Akashi's knowledge.” Midorima replied, frowning deeply. “And I wouldn't want to know what Akashi would do about it... especially when you can't overlook that darkness that was around him.” He recalled Kagami's reaction having been around the red haired boy.

Aomine clenched his fists tightly, and nearly gritted his teeth. “We definitely can't allow Kagami and Akashi to meet again.” He begrudgingly said to his former clansmen. They all glanced over one another, and nodded in silent agreement.

 

* * *

 

There was an explosion, and Kagami gritted her teeth, looking through the cloud of smoke at the raised battle field in front of her, as she watched from the sidelines. The preliminary battles had started for all Tournaments. Half the battles within the Bronze Tournament had began at the same time, after being posted the teams that were to battle one another in order to make it into the semi-finals. Participating Teams of the Bronze Tournament were to partake in battles located in one of the tall Battle Towers. The other two towers were for the other participants in either the Silver or Gold Tournaments. Then the Teams were placed in brackets and would battle their way to the finals, eliminating other participating Teams.

The big arenas were used to only showcase the battles with more popular teams, especially from last season's top four Clans. Unfortunately for the Etoile Clan, they were not able to participate last season's Bronze Tournament. So they were stuck in battling in the smaller battle field in one of the Battle Towers. However, during the semi-finals, the top four teams in the current Tournament would be fighting in the big arena the next day.

Kagami's Team – consisting of Kuroko, Izuki, Mitobe and Tsuchida – was able to win their first battle, without any of their two reserved fighters being substituted in. Their last battle nearly called for Kagami to be pulled in, but they barely won against their opponent, as Kuroko pulled a last second move to acquire them their win to move on to their current battle. During those battles, Kagami was at the edge of her seat, gritting her teeth when she saw her teammates get hurt. But, even with her mental mantra in believing in them, and her other teammates reassuring her, she had this itch that wanted her to join the battles. She was restless. She became more agitated and anxious, especially after meeting a certain former leader of the Miraculous Generals before the Tournaments started.

Ruby eyes widened when the shield spell of Etoile Clan's Guard, Mitobe, broke. The rivaling opponent started to rush towards Etoile Clan's older Sorcerer, Izuki, his attention on the other opponent at the opposite side of the battle field that was just taken out. Kuroko seemed to have suddenly appeared behind the raven haired boy, blocking the attack from reaching the older male. Izuki quickly turned around, surrounded in his silver aura, and waved his hand. A magic circle appeared below the opponent's feet, and became unable to move. Kuroko eased back, and began to be surrounded by his dark aura. He raised his hand, and unleashed his shadow spell, hurling the male Warrior against the invisible bordering wall. The referee called the opponent out and unable to continue, after the issued protection wrist cuff shattered. Then the woman raised her hand. “Battle Over! Etoile Team 2 advances to the quarter-finals!” She called out.

Kagami felt relieved, and her shoulders dropped, releasing the tension that seemed to have formed since the start of the battle. Then a hand plopped down on her shoulder, and she looked over to see the smiling face of Tsuchida. He was one of the starting fighters, but had his cuff shattered and was pulled out of the field, being replaced by Kuroko. Kagami blinked, and questioned since when did she even stand up from her seat, seeing the older male standing beside her. “See, Kagami-kun. Everything is alright. There's no need to worry.” He reassured the girl.

Kagami sighed, and nodded. “I know.” She replied a bit bashfully.

Izuki, Mitobe and Kuroko came down from the battle field, and came near their remaining clansmen. The Sorcerer had a faraway look, lips moving. “-just finished our battle, and won without much problems.” The girl heard Izuki say, most likely reporting to their Clan Leader.

“ _Too slow!_ ” A voice through their heads nearly yelled, causing the members of Etoile to slightly wince. “ _The other Team finished theirs 10 minutes before you!_ ” Aida informed.

Tsuchida's smile broadened, slightly raising his chin, as if to look to the ceiling. “There is no need to rush into these kinds of battles, Riko.” He replied. “We'll definitely make it to the Semi-Finals.” The others all grinned with determination upon Tsuchida's reply.

“ _Well you better!_ ” There was a threatening tone in the older girl's voice. “ _I want to see both of Etoile's Teams in the Semi-Finals!_ ” They all looked at one another, awkwardly laughing.

 

* * *

 

“Ugh.” Hyuuga groaned, and squeezed the bridge of his nose, under his glasses. “Of all the luck, we have to battle against _them_ before the semi-finals!” He clicked his tongue in distaste. To the misery of the bespectacled male, their team would have to battle the Team from Wahr, containing the titled Miraculous General, Kise Ryouta. The battle would happen in the big arena, in front of a fraction of the Elder Clan present, since Wahr Clan was very popular and it had a Miraculous General in it.

“It will be okay!” Kiyoshi responded with a big grin, slapping the back of his teammate, who glared at him.

Izuki lightly chuckled. “You could say that Lady Luck was more on our side.” Hyuuga glared. “Don't worry, when we win this coming battle, we'll be in the Semi-Finals. I look forward on which team we would have to face.”

“You're pretty confident, aren't you?” Hyuuga muttered bitingly. Izuki just smiled at his fellow clansmen.

The Etoile Clan was gathered together, having their break for lunch. The younger members were sitting together, talking of stories, and telling of their battles (mostly Furihata and Fukuda telling the stories). Kagami was slightly chewing on her lower lip, her attention somewhere else, partially listening to her friends. Inwardly, she was torn. ' _When our Team advances to the Semi-Finals... I don't know which team I'm looking more forward to in battling against, Team 1 of our Clan, or Kise's Team..._ '

The red head was snapped from her thoughts when she heard the voice of her Clan Leader speaking in her mind. “ _Oi! Team 1 better win their match, or else! It will be a big plus especially when you defeat a Miraculous General!_ ” From the corner of Kagami's eye, she saw some of the first years jump at the sudden voice that entered into their mind.

Kagami stood up from her seat, and Hyuuga looked over at the lone female fighter. “And where do you think you are you going, Kagami?” He questioned. “Battles will be starting soon. You better not go far!”

The red head rubbed the back of her head. “I need to use the restroom.” She replied, suddenly fidgeting awkwardly.

The older boy narrowed his eyes. “Fine, but Kuroko and Furihata will accompany you. We don't need you getting lost again, like this morning.” Hyuuga said.

“I'm not going to get lost.” Kagami protested, but tightly shut her mouth when Hyuuga narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed, and looked over at the two shorter males. “Come on.” She grumbled. Kuroko and Furihata got up and followed the red head.

The girl went in alone, with the two boys saying that they'll be waiting for her outside. She looked around to see that it was mostly empty. Before she went to head to one of the stalls, one stall opened, and a beautiful raven haired girl in light silver armor came out. Kagami paused, and blinked, watching the girl. ' _… why does she look familiar...?_ ' She wondered. ' _Why does it feel like I've met her before...? A previous battle in the dungeons?_ ' She mulled over.

There was a soft chuckle, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. Kagami blushed, realizing she was just standing in the middle of the bathroom, having been caught staring at the really pretty girl. She turned around, looking at the red head, with long raven bangs falling over her left eye, and a notable beauty mark close to the corner of her right eye. She had long waist length raven hair, with pale skin tone. She was dressed in silver and white, and looked stunning, like almost a model. Her height fell to about Kagami's shoulder. She was still taller than Momoi and Aida. “I'm sorry, but your expression shows that you're confused about something. It's kind of cute.” The raven haired girl was smiling in an amusing way, but Kagami saw that it didn't really reach her eyes.

The red head blinked, and then frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Don't call me cute.” She grumbled. Then slowly, like a splash of water to her face, Kagami widened her eyes, and gasped. “No way!” She stepped back, then suddenly whipped out her arm in front of her, pointing at the shorter girl. “Tatsuya!?” She nearly yelped.

There was a look of surprise in the other girl's face. Then her expression softened, and she smiled, placing a hand over her lips, giggling. “What a surprise! You're a female too, Taiga?” The raven haired girl dropped her hand, and leaned a little forward, hands on her hips. “There's no denying it, especially when you have that unique red hair and eyes, and the forked eyebrows, like back on Earth as a male.” She pointed towards the direction of said feature on the girl. “My, you make a really sexy looking girl, Taiga.”

Kagami walked up to the sinks, and placed a hand on the counter, holding up her own weight. She still had the disbelief expression on her face. “Can't believe you're here in OW. You didn't even mention you were a Chosen at our first meeting since after a year.” She mostly mumbled to herself. She looked up at the girl in front of her. “And you change genders too...”

Himuro hummed, turning over to partially sit on the sink, with her hands placed on the counters, holding up most of her weight. “Well, it's a family trait of ours, which is both a blessing and a curse.” She said, lightly swinging her right leg, with the tip of her heeled boot drawing a line on the tiled floor. “People won't be able to find our real identity back on Earth, great for hiding from enemies in OW. But then it becomes confusing on who you really are, between a male and female.” Then she looked over at the younger, but taller girl. “But that's not really important to get into details. However, I think you would be able to understand, since you're in the same situation, it seems.”

Kagami slightly jutted out her lower lip, shrugging. “Female or male, I'll still be the same person. It's just as a girl I have some powers, while on Earth as a guy, I'm a student. Yeah, there are some advantages and disadvantages between genders, but I don't really care. I won't let it get to me.” She replied casually.

Himuro chuckled. “How very like you, Taiga. So simple-minded.” Kagami turned and pouted, with her eyes narrowed. “That's the part of you that I like... but what irritates me some times.” She said softly.

The red head blinked upon those words. Kagami's gaze slowly trailed down to the floor, feeling the tension building when the silence between them was becoming prolonged. “Why are you here, Tatsuya?” She carefully asked. “I'm pretty sure this is the tower for the Bronze Tournament participants. I'm assuming that you're in the same team as that Murasakibara, since you were together that last time we met. And from what I heard, Murasakibara's Team was in the Silver Tournament.”

The raven haired girl shrugged her shoulders, then casually waved a hand to the air. “I got bored.” She simply said. “So I decided to roam around.” She turned her head and looked up at the red head. “My team is very capable without me there, and I was placed as a reserve fighter. So I don't really need to be present, because we all know that our starting fighters are more than capable in winning without any of the reserves being pulled in.”

A scowl formed upon Kagami's lips. “No one is that unbeatable.”

“You're a reserve fighter too, are you not?” Himuro pointed out to the taller girl. “From what I have seen, you haven't been called into the battle, even when they had to pull at least one reserve fighter when one of your starters get knocked out or when the battle cuff shatters. They always pull someone else in to the battle, instead of you.” She said. “And, having known you for some time, you are the type that wouldn't stand to not participate in a challenge. Now why would you pass up in the opportunity, and would very much argue to at least be put as a main force in all battles?”

Kagami pressed her lips tightly together, unsure on how to answer, as the older and very observant raven haired girl seemed to hit all factual points. The scowl deepened, and the red head turned her head to the side. “My Clan are all capable fighters.” She muttered. “We even made it to the quarter-finals. I know and believe that my team will make it to the semi-finals tomorrow... no they will definitely win the whole Bronze Tournament.”

“Oh? Even without you there?” Himuro prodded.

Ruby eyes glared. “Yes, even without me, I know they will win!”

“I doubt it.” The raven haired girl casually replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Kagami pushed off from the sink, and stood tall, her eyes glaring hard. “Etoile is not weak!”

Silence came between them, and the tension high. Himuro turned to look up at the younger girl, with a slight tilt to the side of her head. “There are rumors, you know.” She finally broke the silence. “Etoile Clan has a powerful duo of fighters.” Kagami slightly tensed. “Your Team have been doing well, from what I have seen, especially when one of Atsushi's former teammate from Kiseki Clan is part of it.” Himuro then turned her head straight forward, and raised her chin, nearly leaning back, placing all the weight on her hands that were on the counter. “But, from what I heard around, your team could do way better and do more, if Kuroko-kun was partnered with Taiga.” Then the girl threw her weight forward, bending at her waist. Her long dark hair curtaining around her head. Himuro then turned to look over at the red head, peeking through the strands of her hair. “Now, why would they hold you back, when it was rumored that both you and Kuroko could be the heart of Etoile Clan's forces?” She wondered, with her single visible eye nearly piercing through the red head.

Kagami huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “That's none of your business.” She grumbled.

Himuro chuckled. “You're right.” Then she stood up straight, pushing off the sinks. She turned towards the taller girl, looking up at her. Their height difference widened, now that they were females. “How about we do something about that bet we have? Are you up to it, Taiga?” She questioned. “Since neither of us have gotten no action at all today, and I know you are itching to fight, just like me, kind of like back on Earth when neither of us could hold back from playing basketball, maybe we could have a little competition of our own, to fulfill our bet. I'm curious about your abilities, so maybe we could have a little battle against one another.” She proposed suddenly. Kagami blinked, and then her expression fell, nearly becoming blank. “Unless you really don't have faith in your Clan members in winning their battles without you...?” Himuro baited in a taunting tone.

Ruby eyes narrowed, and Kagami turned to the girl, with fists clenching tightly. “Name the place and time.” She hissed in a low tone.

A smile formed on the raven haired girl's cherry lips. “The preliminary battles are to end by sundown.” Himuro informed. “And since we wouldn't want anyone interfering, it would be ideal to have our battle out the walls of Imperial City.” Then she took a step forward, stepping over the personal boundaries of the red head, their chests centimeters from touching. “Come if you dare, unless you're afraid, Taiga?”

“We're going to battle!” Kagami raised her voice angrily. “And you'll finally fulfill that bet!”

Himuro smiled, but it was noticeable by the red head that it didn't reach her visible eye. The raven haired girl stepped back, and raised her hand. She bumped a fist against the middle of Kagami's chest. “I look forward to it.” Then she walked towards the entrance of the restroom, and left.

Kagami came out of the restroom with a deep frown upon her lips. Kuroko and Furihata looked up and looked relieved to see her come out. “What took you so long, Kagami?” Furihata nearly whined, impatience hidden in his tone.

“Sorry.” She mumbled a bit too quietly.

The brunet sighed, and then started to walk down the hall. “Come on, let's hurry back. The quarter-final battles are to start soon. I might have to run to the Third Arena.” The whole time, Kuroko watched the red head, noticing the troubled expression she had. He stayed silent, carefully observing the female Knight.

 

* * *

 

Loud cheers and applause erupted in the stands of Arena Stadium 3, after the announcement echoed in the large structure that the battle was over. “Wahr Clan Team 1 advances to the semi-finals for tomorrow!” The female population especially were the loudest, and the largest in numbers among spectators in the arena.

Kiyoshi hissed, and fell to one knee, with his large double edged sword used as a crutch. The rather big brunet started to pant, with sweat pouring down the sides of his face. Then a hand entered within his vision, and he looked up to see the golden haired Miraculous General standing in front of him, offering out his hand to him. There was a tired smile upon the younger teen, and the Knight returned it with a sheepish smile. Kiyoshi took Kise's hand, and was helped up to stand. “You really did a number on us. But congratulation in winning this battle.” The brunet lightly commented, with a small chuckle.

“It was Etoile that really gave us a challenge and made it really difficult to earn the victory. Thank you.” Kise bowed, and then walked over to his team, jumping around and crying with happiness.

Kiyoshi came over to his team, and was helped down from the raised platform. There were pats on the back, compliments, and forced sad smiles going all around. There were some applause off to the side in the stands, praising Etoile for their effort. Then both Clan members stood lined up in front of one another, and bowed in respect to one another.

Kasamatsu looked up at the respectable Clan before him. “We've finally got our rematch battle.”

“And you won, fair and square.” Hyuuga replied.

“Even without your infamous duo, you were still able to rough up this idiot right here.” Kasamatsu gestured to the tall blond, who whined that he wasn't an idiot. Kise acknowledged the Etoile team with a beaming smile.

“Oh, but your next battle will be tougher.” Hyuuga said. “Since you'll be facing our other Team in the Semi-finals.” Most gazes looked over at the stands where the second half of the Etoile Clan sat.

Kasamatsu grinned, with narrowed and determined eyes. “Ah, so then our rematch battle isn't over yet, since we still have to face your whole Clan.”

Hyuuga smirked, with a small hum. “You won't win.” He told confidently.

“We'll see.” The captain of the Team from Wahr replied, accepting the challenge. Golden eyes locked on to the two familiar fighters in the stands from Etoile. Then Kise winked, earning a glare with a small wrinkle on the red haired girl's nose, and the usual blank light blue eyed stare.

Then the teams separated. Etoile Clan became whole again, with the second team patting each fighters' backs, and giving positive compliments on their performance in the battle. Hyuuga dropped a hand on Izuki's shoulder, and squeezed. “You guys better not let them win tomorrow.”

The other boy chuckled. “Don't worry.” He glanced over at his smiling teammates, each having determined expressions. Kuroko and Kagami glanced at one another, after seeing a certain blond figure disappear around the corner with other members from Wahr.

There was a shimmer that occurred between Hyuuga and Kiyoshi, and Etoile Clan's Leader appeared with hands upon her hips. “Congratulations to Izuki's team!” Then looked over at Hyuuga and Kiyoshi. “And to your team, you all did really well. You made them struggle, and that's all I wanted to see.” The first team tried to hide their relief that Aida didn't mention anything, after threatening them for a long time that both teams had to make it to the semi-finals. “But you'll be getting a tripled menu of training when the tournaments end.” She suddenly added with a sweet tone, and cute smile. The others inwardly groaned, believing they all spoke too soon.

Aida turned to look at each member. “Come! Let's celebrate! You've all made it this far, and I'm really proud of you all!” She took a step, and pumped her fist up high. “We're going to Gravion tonight, boys! I've always wanted to go there!”

There were a few that chocked upon the name of the restaurant. Kagami raised a brow, glancing over at Koganei, who was beside her. The shorter boy looked up at the red head, raising his hand to hide from being heard by the shorter female in front of the group. “Gravion is one of those very pricey places here in Imperial City.” Koganei whispered.

The brunette suddenly stopped, and turned around with a sweet smile. “Don't worry! I mean, we'll definitely win back that money.” She said in a sing song tone. “I mean, Team one was able to win some prize money for making it to the quarter-finals. And Team two will definitely win the grand prize when they win the whole tournament, right?” Her eyes narrowed at Izuki and the other team members. They all visibly gulped under the threatening stare, and numbly nodded in reply. “Great! Then let's go!” Aida cheered.

 

* * *

 

The noises inside the building became muffled when the door closed. Kagami stepped away from the entrance to the restaurant, and looked up at the starry night sky. She lightly clenched her fists, and began to walk down the street. Her expression was contorted with guilt, as she bowed her head down. ' _I just couldn't tell anyone where I was going... But I know that Aida-sempai will eventually find out, and I'll receive a long scolding..._ ' She sighed.

' _Maybe... I shouldn't go... or I shouldn't have accepted... for sure if I have this battle with Tatsuya, there might be a possibility that I won't be able to fight tomorrow against Kise... and then hopefully Midorima, since his team also made it to the semi-finals..._ ' She groaned, rubbing her temple. She was conflicted.

The red haired girl looked down at her hand, and she opened it to reveal a silver ring, with a chained necklace looped through. She had removed it after encountering Himuro, as it was distracting her during the battles, even though she was never pulled into the battle stage. ' _Tatsuya has changed so much... I can feel it... that dark coldness surrounding her._ ' Slight grief appeared in her eyes, remembering her encounters with Himuro, after the long year apart. ' _When did that darkness form? It couldn't have been because she was around that Murasakibara... no... what if it was my fault...?_ ' It felt as if her stomach dropped at that thought. ' _Why could it have formed? I could never truly understand Tatsuya nor his feelings..._ '

Lips pressed tightly together, eyes kept casted down. ' _I... really don't want to fight him... especially because of the stakes... but... I can't back down on a promise... that bet._ ' Kagami shakily released her breath, and slowly looked up ahead to find herself in front of the Eastern Gates, the promised meeting place.

Leaning against the wall stood the beautiful Himuro, in her female form for OW. She looked up, and smiled at the sight of the tall red head. “Are you ready, Taiga?” She questioned.

Kagami slowly looked up, her eyes narrowing. She took in a deep breath, and nodded to the older girl in reply. ' _If anything... I can't allow Tatsuya to hurt my clan. Not when she has that darkness._ ' She silently told herself, as she followed after the older girl, through the gates of the Imperial City. ' _If somehow I have this ability, that I really don't know about, to get rid of this darkness, according to all the others, then I'm willing to do it... fight against Tatsuya. I'll bring him back to the one I know... and possibly fully understand on why Tatsuya insists on trying to break... our bond..._ '

It was silent through their walk away from the Imperial City. They made it into the dark forest, where it was lighted up by brightly glowing bugs that were hovering around. Kagami looked around in awe, having not experienced the night scenery away from Espoir Town. The two girls soon made it out into a wide field of grass and flowers. The two moons in the night sky were both full, and brightly lighted up the whole area.

Stopping in the middle of the field, Himuro turned around, facing the taller girl. “This spot is perfect.” She gestured out to the area they were in. “No one will be able to detect us out here so easily.” She looked up, directly into the ruby eyes. “Since we'll be going all out, without holding back, right?” She narrowed her eyes. “Right?”

Kagami slowly released her breath, keeping her expression calm. “Why now of all times should we have this battle, Tatsuya, especially when there is a tournament going on... and I thought this bet of ours was limited to only basketball?” She carefully asked.

“We may not have another opportunity like this one.” Himuro replied. “Since our teams are of different ranks, the chances are slim in ever encountering one another out in the fields.” She brushed back a long strand of raven hair from over her shoulder. “Plus... we're a little unlucky with completing a full basketball game, don't you think? And I believe that a life or death situation will generate more interesting outcomes.” She hummed. “Also, do you not believe in your team, that they would win without you?”

“It's not that I don't believe in them.” Kagami spoke. “But they'll need me to be there to show them my support. They will definitely win, because we're all friends, and that's what we do, support each other.”

There was a hallow chuckle. “You've change so much, Taiga.” Himuro said.

“You've changed a lot too, Tatsuya.” Kagami murmured.

Stepping back, Himuro threw her hand out to the side, and a double edged sword appeared in her hand. It was thinner and shorter than the double edged sword that Kagami has known Kiyoshi had. “Enough talking. I'm very restless from being kept from joining my clan's battles in the tournament.” Her single visible eye narrowed.

Kagami took in a deep breath, and threw her hand out for her giant sword to appear. “Let's make this quick, before my Clan finds me.” She lifted up her sword, going into a defensive stance.

A smirk appeared on the raven haired girl's lips, before suddenly vanishing from sight. Kagami widened her eyes, being thrown off guard at the sudden movement. She quickly turned around, and raised her sword, blocking the sword attack from her opponent. Kagami took a step, and pushed forward for the attack. Her sword slashed through, but only to a strange shimmering image of the raven haired girl, that then dissolved into a mist.

“Frozen Shots!”

Kagami felt her breath hitched, and she turned around, raising her hand up. A barrier was quickly summoned, and shots of arrows hit the invisible shield. The red head gritted her teeth, seeing ice forming on the shield from where the arrows hit. The girl then burst into flames, and went running, with her sword in hands. “Flame Strike!”

“Hydro Blast!” Himuro raised her arms, palms facing forward, and a hard spray of water shot towards the red haired girl.

The fires instantly died down, and the force of the attack was being pushed by Kagami, with her sword up, used as a shield. She nearly sputtered, as water sprayed out, soaking her head and the ground. The heels of her shoes dug down into the soil, while the force of the attack created skid marks on the dirt ground, pushing her back.

Himuro released her attack, and lowered her hands. She smirked in amusement. “How very fitting of us. Very much opposites.” She mused. Daggers appeared in the girl's hands, and Himuro dashed forward.

Wiping the water from her eyes, Kagami gritted her teeth, and raised her sword back high. She parried and blocked the attacks of the other girl. A little into their dance with blades, Kagami was able to cut Himuro on her arm. Ruby eyes widened when the shallow cut easily healed, the older girl's pale skin unmarked.

“Ah, remember when back on Earth, that I would heal quickly after receiving an injury?” Himuro reminded the red haired Knight. “But here in OW, the healing rate has accelerated three times faster than compared to back on Earth.”

The red head lightly cursed, and jumped back. Then a visible wave of heat surrounded the girl, quickly drying her. Kagami shot open her eyes, swinging her sword down in front of her, only to cut through another after image of the raven haired girl. Frown deepened, and hands thrown out forward, as a barrier rose around the girl. Arrows of ice hit the invisible barricade, forming ice crystals from the points of the arrows that hit. Kagami took in a breath, before releasing her shield spell, and rushing towards Himuro.

Himuro parried the sword attack with her own sword, and then blocked another hard swing from the red head. Swords continued to clash, with the loud metallic sharp sounds breaking the silence of the night. The raven beauty felt her lips curling, as excitement began to bubble in her chest. She swiftly dodged the giant sword coming down upon her, and released her own sword attack, only for it to be blocked as well. But then she received a cut on her upper arm, and Himuro turned to glare at the younger girl. The wound instantly closed up and healed. She jumped back, and threw her hands out forward. “Hydro Blast!”

Kagami raised both her hands, and braced for the impact of the powerful jet stream of water aimed towards her, hitting her shield spell. She gritted her teeth as she felt herself being slightly pushed back. When the attack died down, Kagami ran forward with her sword in her hands, and took a swing. The girl cursed when she cut through a fake image.

“Ice Cutters!”

The red haired Knight cried out in pain, when the she was hit by the daggers that were surrounded by ice magic. She jumped away, hissing, while slightly shivering. Kagami took in a deep breath, and raised her sword, blaring out with flames surrounding her. She shot open her eyes, glaring fiercely at her opponent that was approaching her. She tightly held her giant sword with both hand, and began to spin around with her sword out in front of her. “Flare Wave!”

A raging ring of fire blast out from the girl. It instantly burned through a fake image of the raven haired Warrior. But it continued outwards around the girl, aiming also behind her, where the real Himuro was. The raven haired girl wasn't quick enough to dodge. She hissed when the attack hit her, burning away into her, with smoke trailing. The raven haired girl looked down to see the burns quickly getting healed, and she sneered with distaste. Raising her head, she brought out her bow and arrow, already pulled back. “Frozen Shot!”

Kagami quickly raised her sword, using it as a shield to block the icy arrows. The red head ignored the ice crystals that formed on her sword, and leaped to the side and rolled away. “Hydro Blast!”

The Knight quickly scrambled up to her feet, and dashed forward, following the source of the powerful jet stream of an attack. Kagami raised her hand, blaring brightly in a red aura. “Blaze Blast!”

Himuro narrowed her visible eye, seeing the big blast of fire heading her direction. The water attack was canceled, and she changed her stance, with one hand raised and directed at the incoming blast of raging fire. The air around her dropped in temperature, with her breath becoming visible. Himuro blared in a lavander aura. “Hail Storm!”

Ice and fire attacks hit, causing the grounds to tremble. The beautiful field underneath the two powerful attacks was being reformed. The darkness of the night was brightening up by both their blaring auras. Both girls were struggling to push forward, nearly being equal in power. Gray eyes widened, as the fires intensified, nearly engulfing the icy attack.

Then Kagami's attack overpowered her opponent's, hitting the raven haired warrior, and exploding into a giant flame. The red head quickly waved her hand, extinguishing the fire, only to find the big scorch mark on the ground. Kagami was lightly panting, with a deep frown and furrowed brows. Off to the side stood Himuro, who was hoarsely panting, while staring at the scorch mark with conflicting emotions. She turned to watch the younger girl, and felt irritation bubble in her chest. ' _How...?'_ Himuro clenched her jaw tightly, glaring heatedly at the red haired girl. ' _Why!?_ ' The air around her dangerously dropped in temperature, with the grass and flowers beneath her boots becoming encased in ice. “No more holding back.” She whispered coldly. Her sword appeared in her hand, and she dashed forward.

The giant sword was quickly raised, blocking the smaller blade. Kagami frowned, noticing a slight change with her opponent. The attacks became quicker, and more forceful. But the Knight was able to parry and block. The two entered back into their dance with their swords. The metal of the blades clashing loudly, and echoing into the night of the open field.

“Icicle Strike!”

Kagami cried out in pain, as a large stake of ice was impaled through the girl's shoulder. She quickly raised her other hand, and summoned a barrier when Himuro's sword swung towards her. The blade hit the invisible shield, and ice formations spread out from the weapon. Ruby eyes glanced up, and Kagami's heart squeezed. ' _No... not you..._ '

A film of darkness surrounded the raven haired Warrior. Himuro was nearly snarling, as she struggled to push harder with her sword against Kagami's barrier spell. The red head was nearly torn to pieces, looking into her childhood friend's eyes. ' _… that look... that really wants to kill me..._ ' A crack formed on the shield spell.

The spell shattered, and the double edged sword was met with a silver rapier. Himuro slowly widened her eyes in surprise. She was being overpowered, as both girl's blades were in a lock. The red head raised her eyes, with now silver eyes. There was a film of a white aura surrounding the girl.

Kagami pushed the girl back, then raised her hand above her head. Energy began to gather in her hand. Himuro growled, taking a step back from her opponent. She raised her hand, and began to also gather in energy.

“Scorching Rain!” “Hail Storm!”

Fire and ice spells were released. The clash of both attacks were doubled in intensity, shaking the grounds. A white glow surrounded the fiery attack, while there was a tint of darkness with the icy spell. The light of the two spells grew brighter, as the magnitude of the forces increased.

Himuro's expression crumpled as she was struggling to hold her spell. ' _No! I won't lose! Not to you!_ ' Her mind raged. Then the darkness blared out violently.

Across the older girl, Kagami calmly stood still, with a blank expression. The white aura around her doubled in size. With a flash of light, a big explosion was set off from between the girls. The whole place shook violently.

The light died down, and the smoke in the area was slowly clearing away. There stood the red haired Knight, with a blank expression, and hand still raised, outstretched in front of her. Across stood a towering figure, adorned in black armor and helmet, with a giant shield that was wider than shoulder width, and height that came from the ground to the tall figure's shoulders. The shield moved aside to reveal the unconscious form of the beautiful raven girl in silver, held in the black armored figure's arm.

Silver eyes bled back to crimson, and Kagami's expression contorted. A hand was quickly raised to cover both nose and mouth. ' _W-what...? W-who...?_ ' She couldn't ignore the swirling darkness surrounding the black armored figure.

“Muro-chin~ How very unlike you to cause trouble.” A familiar male voice spoke, with an almost childish tone. The armor clad male pushed up the visor of the helmet, revealing the face of the armored male. Then cold eyes, that bled from purple to black, looked up straight into wide ruby eyes. “It must be your fault.”

Kagami nearly choked, and stepped back. ' _N-no... what... what is Murasakibara... doing here!?_ ' Her mind shouted in panic. A colds sweat began to form, and the hairs of the back of her neck stood. ' _Oh Gods... I have to get away now!_ ' She was trembling. ' _MOVE!_ ' Her body felt like lead, rooted to the spot she stood, despite her mind yelling for her to move.

The giant shield disappeared, and Murasakibara raised his free hand, directed towards the red haired girl. ' _GET AWAY!_ ' Kagami's mind screamed. But her body couldn't respond, staring with wide eyed dread, as dark energy began to gather into the tall male's hand.

“Terra Disaster.”

And darkness invaded the girl's vision, before everything blacked away.

“KAGAMI!!!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((AN: Wow, that was intense! Or not...
> 
> Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Just think of this as a Christmas present to you readers! Yes, I know it's been a long time since I've updated, many have been asking for this chapter, but I've been really busy, especially with all these holidays that has been popping up. Just so you know, I'm working at two hospitals... so yeah... Ahem. Anyways.
> 
> So, still comparing to the cannon time line of Kuroko no Basuke? Sure there are still some elements, but like what I have been saying, I'm sort of changing things around. So don't really expect for the flow of this story to follow the timeline of the cannon series.
> 
> All the GOM finally showed up, and in one setting! Yup, finally Akashi briefly appears, and of course it's not good. Now, don't go complaining about Kagami's reaction to meeting Akashi. If you understand by now about this whole darkness ordeal, then leave it as that. Will he show up again? Of course! But maybe in a few chapters after. After all, as the story goes, we still have to deal with Murasakibara.
> 
> Speaking of the purple haired giant, do I sense some kind of foreshadowing? And that cliffhanger! How could I!? Well I did! You'll just have to wait on what will happen. And I know a lot of you called it that Himuro becomes a girl when he goes to OW. Anyways, I kind of wanted to focus on how much this darkness can change and influence a person, especially going around and focus on the relationship between Kagami and Himuro. Hey, it's important. And no... they won't be hints of any HimuKaga pairing. Honestly, I don't see them together romantically. Just bros... but that's just my opinion.
> 
> Well, I've already worked out the outline for the next chapter. I'm setting a goal in trying to quickly finish it and get it out by New Year. I have a week holiday break. Yay! Until next time!))
> 
>  
> 
> **  
>  Aida Riko's Files  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> **Other World Tournaments** (cont.)  
>  =Set in the Arena Park, located in the Imperial City.  
> =Each level of tournament (Bronze, Silver and Gold), occur in one Battle Tower, and one main Stadium.  
> =Depending on the number of participating teams, usually about 64 teams each section, they would be randomly paired for battles. There's a Block A, and a Block B. It's a process of elimination before one advances to the next round. Then two teams from Block A, and two teams from Block B, would enter the Semi-Final round, which usually occurs the next day after the preliminaries. Then the winners of Block A would battle against the winners of Block B in the finals, the same day as the Semi-Finals.  
> =Stadium battles usually holds battles with Teams from high ranking Clans, or previous winning Teams from the last seasoned Tournament. Also, the Semi-Final and Final rounds happen in the main Stadium. There would always be a few number of members from the Elder Clan that would spectate.  
> =The rules of the Tournaments: Each participant would receive a cuff, embedded with a spell. It is to prevent any unnecessary fatalities and “deaths”. The participant will have a cuff representing the level of tournament they will be in (Bronze, Silver, Gold). Each cuff can take on a certain amount of force, before it shatters, resulting in the participant to be “Unable to battle”, and pulled off the battle field. Once all members of the Team has been taken off the field, or their cuff shatters, then the remain team member will advance with their own team to the next round.  
> =Anyone is free to watch which ever battle, but would have to sit out in the specified spectating areas.
> 
> **_Murasakibara Atsushi_**  
>  **Class** : Knight  
>  **Abilities** : N/A  
>  **Costume Ref** : https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/01/51/eb/0151eb6472b1b3d1610ad5d9d6ab0f81.jpg
> 
> **_Himuro Tatsuya_**  
>  **Class** : Warrior  
>  **Abilities** : Gender change, double edged sword, daggers, Bow and arrow, water and ice elemental attacks, very abnormal self-healing, abnormal speed and evasion, body mirage  
>  **Costume Ref** : http://img2.mmo.mmo4arab.com/photo/2010/03/04/Warrior_FemaleYVU6F43O70.jpg


	16. The Double Ace Fighters of Déntro

A silver ring sat at the middle of Kagami's palm. It was small, fit for the size of a child. Ruby eyes have been staring at the object in hand for some time, which became lost to him. A throbbing feeling hit his heart, recalling the cold eyes directed towards him, with the intent to kill.

Kagami clenched his hand over the ring tightly. He got out of his bed, looking over at the clock, and cursed. He dropped the ring with the chain on the night stand, quickly exiting his room.

 

* * *

 

Amusement danced within light blue eyes, as it watched a red haired female chase the pigs back into its pin. Kuroko chuckled softly behind his hand when Kagami shrilled in frustration, shouting threats at the animals.

Usually, such job was left to the Phasma, especially in taking care of businesses or domestic chores in the town, while the Chosen focus on protecting their town, and help it flourish by bringing out magical items to make the town advance with more awards. The Chosen upgrades the towns, just like in some virtual games being played currently back on Earth. However, such job was handed to Kagami, as a punishment. She was stuck with doing menial jobs around the town, which no one in their Clan usually ever does, such as deliveries between businesses, gathering crops, tending some of the animals, fishing, etc. Kagami wasn't even allowed to join in boarder checks, one of the most boring jobs a fighter does in their own town.

Suddenly, Kuroko was pulled back to recalling of the night before the semi-finals of the Bronze Tournament:

 

* * *

 

_There was no sight or sign of Etoile Clan's female Knight within the restaurant, which was odd, when the girl was very noticeable, with the red hair, and being one of the only 'females' in the clan. Kuroko frowned, and decided to seek her out. He first thought the girl went to the restroom, but after minutes of watching the hallway for the girl to come out, she never did. '_ Why is it I have this bad feeling? _'_

_The night sky was cleared of any clouds, and shined brightly with stars. At two different places were the two moons of OW, both full and glowing brightly. Kuroko stepped away from the doors of the restaurant, where it shut out the noise of his merry clan. '_ Sorry Sempai, but I can't get this feeling off my chest. I need to find Kagami-kun before any of you... _' He briefly glanced over his shoulder, seeing through the tinted glass window of the joyous expressions of each member of Etoile. '_ I'd rather receive a punishment later than ruin this...' _He looked ahead at the dimly lit streets, with a few Chosen and Phasma idly walking around, looking through windows of each store. '_ Plus, I want to be the first to berate Kagami-kun for leaving without saying anything... I'm sure that the Sempai would shred her to pieces about it.' _He sighed, and began to walk down the streets of the night in the Imperial City. '_ I... really need to get to her fast...' _Something in his chest was clenching._

_Minutes into his walk, he looked up at the call of his name. “Tetsu-kun!” The light blue haired boy was quickly enveloped in a crushing hug._

_Kuroko raised his hand, patting the pink haired girl's upper arm. “Momoi-san.” He barely was able to voice, his air supply barely being cut off._

“ _Oi, Satsuki, stop trying to kill Tetsu.” The girl's companion grumbled in slight annoyance. Momoi instantly released the shorter boy, and turned to the tall dark blue haired male, pouting at him._

_Kuroko looked up, and saw Aomine's expression, being slightly on edge. “Aomine-kun.” He politely greeted. “You're still here in Imperial City.” He mostly stated._

_Momoi smiled. “Well, after having dinner with our Team, Aomine tried to escape right away. I followed to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble.” She huffed._

“ _I'm not going to make trouble, idiot.” Aomine muttered, looking off to the side, with his arms crossed. “I don't need you to babysit me.” Momoi huffed, placing her hands on her hips. The dark blue haired boy ignored the girl's berating, and looked over at his former teammate. “Satsuki said you'll be facing Kise's Team tomorrow at the semi-finals.” He brought up, directing the attention back at the light blue haired boy._

_Kuroko nodded. “Yes. We finally will get our rematch. And hopefully, we'll get to face Midorima-kun at the finals.”_

_Aomine snorted. “Good luck with that.”_

_Momoi beamed. “I'm sure you and Kagamin will do fine! I'll be cheering for you, Tetsu-kun!”_

“ _What about Kise, or Midorima?” The tallest teen questioned his childhood friend in a slight teasing tone._

“ _Obviously I'd cheer Tetsu-kun over everyone else!” The pink haired girl exclaimed._

“ _They'll cry if they hear that.” Kuroko lightly joked. “And how about your end at the Silver Tournament?”_

“ _Of course we made it into the Semi-Finals.” Aomine replied, with a little arrogance in his tone._

_Momoi nodded. “But the team of Mukkun is also in the Semi-Finals. More than likely, our team will face his.” Then there was worry on her expression, and she crossed her arms. “Their team is very strong, winning battles even without Mukkun or Himuro-san ever setting foot on the battle field. They have been listed as reserved fighters. But, what's vexing is that neither Mukkun nor Himuro-san are ever there at the sidelines!” She glared with a deep frown._

_The light blue haired boy frowned. “I would be angry too.”_

“ _Che.” Aomine clicked his tongue out of annoyance. “Well, we'll just see what happens when we wipe out their main fighters. What will they do then when they have no reserved fighters?” He was smirking._

_Momoi suddenly perked, breaking the tense atmosphere. “Oh, and did you know? Himuro-san is like Kagamin, apparently he also changes gender when he crosses over to here in OW!”_

_Kuroko was surprised. “I see.” Was all he could get out. But then he barely gasped, and widened his eyes. “Kagami-kun.” He whispered in recollection of what he was forgetting, then looked up at his two old friends. “Sorry, but I can't stay to catch up more with you. I have to go find Kagami-kun. She kind of disappeared from our Clan without saying anything, and might end up being lost again.”_

_The pink haired girl smiled in understanding. “That's fine with us, Tetsu-kun.”_

“ _I'm coming with you.” Aomine suddenly declared, with a frown, and narrowed eyes. Both Momoi and Kuroko looked up at the dark blue haired boy with surprise._

_Then both boys visibly tensed, and turned their heads towards a certain direction. Momoi blinked, watching them. “Hey... is something wrong?” She carefully asked._

“ _Kagami-kun...” Kuroko whispered. He took off running, following his heart that was leading him towards the strong pull he recognized before. Right beside him was Aomine, with a deep frown and concentrated look._

“ _Wha-? Wait! Where are you two going!?” Momoi shouted after them, and went to run after them, but they were too fast for her. She lost them when they turned a corner. She slowed down, panting heavily, and slightly bent over with her hands on her knees. “Wh-what's going on... suddenly... with them?” She wondered. She stood up straight, and frowned with determination. She closed her eyes, only to open them with a glazed look, and glowing in a soft pink aura. Her earpiece head set appeared. She then smiled cutely. “Why, hello there Sempai~”_

 

* * *

 

_Both Kuroko and Aomine ran out through the Eastern Gates of the Imperial City. They were able to make it through the forest, with glowing lights from firefly like insects. That's when they saw two other familiar males also running through._

“ _Kise-kun! Midorima-kun!” Kuroko called out. The two turned their heads in surprise, but it melted away back to seriousness. They all nodded with some silent understanding. They all continued to run, not stopping for their usual pleasantries._

_The four former members of the Kiseki Clan made it through the forest, into a wide open field. There were burn marks, and patches of ice and muddy puddles. A lot of the flowers have been uprooted from the ground, remodeling the landscape into bare soil. About a few yards away from them stood Kagami, in her Knight attire, with apparent marks of battle on her whole body and outfit. She was standing, rooted at her spot, face pale, and eyes wide with panic and dread. Right across from her was the familiar towering purple haired Knight, in black armor, with an unconscious raven haired beauty in his one arm. Murasakibara was thickly surrounded by a dark aura, and his free hand was outstretched in front of him, with energy and darkness gathering at the palm of his hand._

“ _Terra Disaster.”_

_Everything was in slow motion for Kuroko. He vaguely remembered panicking, and started running towards the red head. He tried calling out to her, even though he knew his warning would be of no use, but no sound could come out. He threw his hand out, trying to reach the girl on time, as the devastating attack ripped through to get to her. He could see from his peripheral view that the other three were also in the same state, trying to reach out towards the red head. Kuroko could faintly also hear someone shout out her name, but he couldn't distinguish who it was._

_Then it hit, and all Kuroko knew was excruciating pain. He hissed as he struggled to sit up. Beside him was the unconscious red haired Knight, littered with injuries and dirt. “Kagami-kun!” He gasped, and scrambled to pull her head close to him. He heard groaning, and looked around to see the others also down on the floor, very close to the red head, and sporting injuries and smears of dirt from the attack. Aomine was cursing to himself. Kise was hissing as he inspected his injuries. Midorima was frowning, with one of his lens on his glasses cracked._

_Kuroko quickly turned his head to the other end of the field, only to see no one there._

 

* * *

 

Just as Kuroko had predicted, he was chewed out by the Sempai of his Clan, but only briefly, as he was forced to rest, since they still had a tournament to win. Kuroko had to stay at the sidelines as a reserve during the battle against the Wahr Clan. Unfortunately, and even with Kawahara's most powerful healing spell, not all of Kuroko's injuries was healed from that attack from Murasakibara. Kuroko guessed that it was a repercussion of the dark attack. It was apparent, especially when Kise and Midorima did not look like they were at their best shape, being also placed as reserves during their battles, not recovering from last night's attack.

The Semi-final battle between Etoile and Wahr was an intense battle, and there was a turning point when both Kise and Kuroko were pulled in to the battle. They held nothing back, despite their lingering injuries, as it was a fight in honor of their own Clan, and a rematch battle. However, in the end, Wahr Clan advanced to the finals. But it was Anima Clan that won the whole Bronze Tournament. All the while, Kagami remained unconscious, back at Espoir Town.

With all that they have accomplished in the Bronze Tournament, their whole Clan was promoted to Rank III, and it opened up a plethora of new areas for their Clan to explore, new Dungeons to conquer, and new and powerful Artifacts that could upgrade their whole Clan. Etoile was very excited, and once they returned to OW from Earth, they quickly assigned missions to explore the new opportunities. However, Kagami was right away placed on punishment, doing odd jobs that didn't include her picking up her sword. She would still go through rigorous training under the esteemed Leader of Etoile, but she wasn't allowed to join the others in their excitement of exploring, battling and conquering.

Kuroko slowly exhaled, and opened his light blue eyes, pulling away from his recollection of past events. He slightly frowned, placing a hand over his heart. ' _This terrible feeling won't go away, not since our encounter with Akashi-kun... And I thought that feeling would have at least been abated since that attack from Murasakibara-kun..._ ' Worry grew upon his expression. He tried to pry information from Kagami, once she woke up, on what happened that night. She was asked why she went out to face Himuro alone, which was very stupid of her, as been told to her by not only her whole Clan, but also the three other Miraculous Generals, both on Earth and in OW. However, Kagami's only reply was that she was just fulfilling a promise... but things didn't turn out as planned. Kuroko berated her, calling her even more of an idiot.

Inwardly sighing, Kuroko looked up back at his red haired partner. “Kagami-kun!” He called out to her.

The girl blinked, and looked over, only to trip and fall, face down, into the mud. Kuroko tried hard to compose his aloof expression to prevent from showing his urge to laugh at the scene and sight before him. Kagami quickly pushed herself up with her hands, and instantly turned and glared at the light blue haired boy. “KU. RO. KO!” She growled out with a deadly tone.

The boy raised his hands up in defense. “I did not do anything to you, Kagami-kun. I came to call you back to the base.”

“Yeah right!” She jumped up on to her feet, and was seething. “You did it on purpose, you bastard!” Then she launched her self toward the boy.

Kuroko ran, with his eyes dancing with amusement. He was being chased by the red head, around the farm. ' _I pray that this peace and joy that Kagami-kun carries with him would last longer._ ' He then blended into the shadows, and held in his laugh when Kagami passed by him. ' _My greatest fear of all is when that moment would come, and everything will just crumble away..._ '

 

* * *

 

There was a Mausoleum standing in front of the Team from Etoile. It was found up high on a mountain, in the middle of the snow covered mountain range. It was as big as a small one room house. The structure was surrounded by dried out dark vines, and the big double doors were a dark gray color, while the rest of the Mausoleum was an off white, compared to the pure white snow.

Kiyoshi reached up, and patted the red haired girl's head. “Great job as always, Kagami, in finding the Dungeon,” he said with praise. Tsuchida stepped up beside the taller male, and turned to smile at the girl.

The red head shrugged. “It wasn't that hard to see from where we landed.” She looked over to see Kuroko and Furihata panting with slight exhaustion, puffs of vapor in front of their faces. Their Team was transported to the base of the mountain, and had to climb to reach the Dungeon that sat at the top of the snowy mountain in plain view. Kagami raised her head seeing the rounded roof top of the structure. “Can't believe this small building is a Dungeon.” She muttered mostly to herself.

“Well, you should know by now, Kagami, not to judge things by appearances.” Tsuchida chided.

“It seems that Kagami-kun hasn't become rusty at all.” Kuroko remarked, as he rubbed his freezing gloved hands together. “It's your first mission since your long punishment.” Back on Earth, autumn has just began, and classes had resumed weeks before.

“Yeah well, Leader wouldn't leave me out of her torturous training of hell.” The girl grumbled, recalling the grueling training she had with just Aida spectating and shouting out drills. Then Kagami turned to her partner. “But it doesn't seem you've improved with your endurance, Kuroko.” She snorted.

“Alright Team, let's go and conquer this Dungeon!” Kiyoshi called out, standing beside the double doors. “Hopefully it's warmer in there than out here!” He placed his hands on the doors, and a light portal appeared. The group of five walked through, and entered into the Dungeon.

In front of them was a wide and long stone bridge, with fire lighted torches along the parapet of the bridge. As they stepped away from the archway of the entrance, they found that they were in a big earthly place, like they were underground. Looking up were more bridges, crossing overhead in different directions, from one end of the stone wall, to the other side. The whole Dungeon was like a very deep cylindrical pit, with no bottom that was visible. There were many bridges at different levels, crossing through the pit, almost making a pinwheel design from top to bottom. There was some light coming from a small hole above, other than the burning torches on all the bridges.

Furihata peered over the parapet that came to his chest, seeing the seemingly endless hole, with more stone bridges. “Would you believe that the Artifact could be at the very bottom of this place?” He questioned, and leaned back, turning to his teammates.

Kagami closed her eyes, then shook her head. “It seems more complicated than that.” She replied.

“ _Careful everyone. There are other Clans already in there._ ” Aida's voice sounded in their heads.

“We'll just have to reach the Heart Chamber first, then.” Kiyoshi proclaimed, and looked at the determined looks from his teammates.

They power walked across the bridge, until they reached the end. In front of them were three white marble stone doors, with finely decorated arches and carvings. Kagami looked to her team, gesturing towards the doors. “Each one leads to another bridge, either the higher ones or the lower ones.” She explained.

Etoile's Brawler frowned, and rubbed his chin. “This might be a silly thought, but can't we just hop down, jumping bridges?” Tsuchida questioned.

Kagami frowned, looking around. She spotted a stone, and picked it up. She threw it out and over the bridge, only for it to from above them, bouncing on to the floor, and beside Tsuchida's foot. The team looked surprised, watching as Tsuchida picked up the same exact stone that Kagami threw. Kiyoshi craned his neck, trying to look at the only opening with light pouring in. “I see. This Dungeon of course is ran by magic, and will prevent any Fighter from 'cheating'. We're forced to go through with the Dungeon's maze.”

The red haired Knight nodded. Kuroko looked over at the only female in the team. “Then, it's correct to believe that you know the true path to the Artifact, as always.” The light blue haired boy stated. Kagami nodded in reply again. Kuroko's expression slightly fell, carefully observing his partner. “Are you alright, Kagami-kun?” He quietly asked, noticing the girl's unease since entering the Dungeon.

Kagami shook her head, and stepped forward. “I'm fine.” She said, then turned to the two eldest members in their team. “So, what route do you want to take? The challenging one, or do you want to get this over and done with?” She asked, with a raised brow.

The team all looked at one another, and grinned. “How about we make sure you didn't get rusty, Kagami?” Kiyoshi lightly laughed. The female Knight smirked.

 

* * *

 

Lowering his staff, Furihata sighed in relief when the battle against another team from a different Clan was over. The opposing team were all unconscious, and started to glow in a cyan light and warped away from sight, to the outside of the Dungeon. The young Sorcerer looked over at his teammates, to see them dusting a part of their body after their weapons de-materalized.

Kiyoshi straightened his back, dusting his hands, and turned to the fellow Knight. “Looks like Riko's continuous training paid off, Kagami.” He lightly chided. “And your new fire attack is quiet impressive.”

The girl flushed, and rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, thanks.”

Tsuchida sighed, patting his chest. “I'm just grateful that Kagami was able to summon shields around us from that attack, or else we would have been roasted too.” The red head flushed again, and turned her head, scratching her cheek in awkward embarrassment.

“Which door now?” Kuroko spoke up, looking at the end of the bridge with three new marble doors.

Kagami stepped forward, and then pointed at the left door. “That way.”

The team headed towards the pointed out door, and went through. When they passed through to another bridge, they all froze, seeing such a horrid sight before them. There were unconscious Fighters, with gaping wounds, and blood pooling around them, or splashed on the stone surfaces of the bridge. It looked like a massacre. Then mere seconds later, those fighters started to phase into static, and disappeared. All was left was the crimson traces, with deep indentations all over the stone bridge.

Furihata was nearly white as a sheet, feeling faint. He grabbed on to the closest person to keep steady, which was Tsuchida, and slapped a hand to his mouth. “Oh gods.” He suddenly had flashes of his own 'death'.

Kiyoshi's expression morphed to a deep frown, as he bravely stepped forward, surveying the area. “We need to continue.” The others silently followed behind the tallest male, without protest. Kagami shallowly released a breath, as eyes traced over the signs of a bloody battle.

The group stood in front of the new set of marble doors. Kuroko turned to the assigned team captain, his face void of any expression. “I should suggest that we get this excursion over with, and get that Artifact fast, Sempai.”

“I agree.” Tsuchida grimly spoke.

“We should avoid encountering whoever did this mess.” Kiyoshi nodded in agreement, and turned to the red haired Knight. “Kagami.”

The girl snapped back to attention, and rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment and guilt. “Sorry.”

“Are you really okay, Kagami-kun?” Kuroko questioned with hidden worry.

Kagami waved her hand. “I'm really okay, Kuroko.” She quickly replied, avoiding in looking at the dead stare that her partner was giving her. She pointed straight ahead. “Get it over with, right? We're going through there!” Her voice was raised, and she took hurried steps to the door. The two eldest members and the Assassin glanced at one another, with silent words passing through them, before following after the girl and their Sorcerer.

From that point, the Team was hastily running across bridges, no longer encountering monsters or any other clan members. After three more bridges, their run slowed to a brisk walk. “We're almost at the Heart Chamber.” Kagami announced half way across the bridge.

Furihata glanced over the bridge, and walked over to peer below. “I think I see the bottom. And there's the giant doors to the Heart Chamber!” He spotted the top half of the said doors, about three bridge between where they were to the floor.

There was a sharp gasp from Kagami, her breath being caught when they neared the new set of marble doors. She shuddered. Kuroko frowned, and came up next to the girl. He was reaching out his hand to the girl's upper arm. “Kagami-kun, what's wr-”

There was a loud click from behind them, at the opposite end of the bridge, from where they entered from. Everyone stiffened, the sound causing them to pause with held breaths.

“Seriously, would it kill you to at least do some work? You don't help at all against our opponents.” A voice spoke with annoyance and anger.

“But Sempai all declared they could handle everything. So there's no need to waste energy in helping. You're all doing a very good job without me.” A lazy voice replied. “Can't we hurry? I'm getting hungry.” The voice complained with a tiny whine.

“You'll get your snacks once we accomplish in retrieving the Artifact.” A soft female voice spoke.

Slowly, the Etoile Team looked over their shoulders. There they spotted a group with three towering males, another male that was shorter than the others, and a female. The team from a different Clan looked up ahead, and paused in their walk seeing Etoile at the opposite end.

Light blue eyes slowly widened, and heart sank at the sight of the familiar purple haired male with black armor. “Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko murmured with hidden dread.

Kiyoshi frowned, watching the Team at the opposite end from where they were. ' _Déntro Cl_ _an, housing one of the Miraculous Generals, Murasakibara Atsushi._ ' His eyes scanned through the rest of the members of the Team, recalling when Aida looked up said General after the Winter Tournament. ' _The captain of the team, Okamura Kenichi, is their Guard. The other two are Knights, Fukui Kensuke and Liu Wei. That's why they're known for their impenetrable defenses. Then the last one, who makes up the Double Ace Fighters of their team... Their only female..._ '

The raven haired female with silver armor perked in surprise. “Ah, Kagami.” She called out with familiarity.

Kuroko heard the hitch of breath from the girl beside him. He turned his attention back to the opposite side, and inwardly frowned. ' _Kagami-kun..._ ' He glanced over at Kiyoshi. “Sempai, at this state, we cannot face them equally, if forced to a battle.” He murmured softly that only his teammates could hear. “We will lose, especially with the shaky relation between Kagami-kun and Himuro-san.” The two eldest fighters recalled discussions from before and recognized the name, looking over at the raven haired Warrior. “And also, there is no ignoring that dangerous dark aura around Murasakibara-kun.” There was faint traces of a dark aura around the purple haired boy.

“I agree.” The tallest member replied, frowning.

“Guys, I can't reach Leader.” Furihata whispered in distress. “Something is blocking... like that time when we encountered Aomine and his team.”

Tsuchida frowned deeply. “Most likely that darkness around Murasakibara is blocking our connection to Riko.”

“Listen. When I give the signal, you all run, got it?” Kiyoshi commanded, narrowed eyes trained at their opponents.

Kagami widened her eyes, and jerked her head towards the other Knight. “But-”

The tallest male turned to the red head, and gave a hard stare over his shoulder. “You should have learned by now, Kagami. Listen to your Sempai, and trust in their words.” Kagami quickly pressed her lips together. Kiyoshi turned his head, and briefly closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Then he quietly released it, and opened his eyes, glowing in his silver aura, with his double long swords appearing in his hands. “Cross Slasher!”

The attack surged forward, and there was an explosion half way across the bridge. Between the two Clans, the bridge started to crumble and fall, with a thick cloud of smoke obscuring their view of the other team. “Hurry and go, now!” Kiyoshi shouted.

Kagami turned around, and pointed at a door. “That one!” Then they all ran through the middle door. The smoke thinned out, with Etoile gone from sight. The members of the Déntro Clan held amused expression.

One bridge after the other, the team from Etoile were running quickly, following the directions of their red haired Knight that was shouted out half way across the bridge. They've passed about five bridges, until Kagami looked up sharply, her heart racing. “We're almost there!” She saw Tsuchida ahead, with Kiyoshi covering their rear. “The left door!”

Tsuchida was merely a few feet away, before the floors started to shake violently, throwing their group off balance. There was a loud explosion behind them, and Kiyoshi looked over to see the door at the other end blew up, with a big huge piece of rubble flying their way. “Everyone duck!” The male Knight shouted, as he turned around and raised his hands, summoning his barrier spell.

They all threw themselves to the floor at command, just as the huge boulder slammed against Kiyoshi's barrier. The towering Knight was thrown back off his feet from impact, and his spell shattered. The others cried out to their assigned team captain, and watched as the boulder landed in front of the door that Kagami pointed to. Kagami and Kuroko dared to look over at the other end, and stiffened with panic and dread. Murasakibara stood across the other end of the bridge, with the dark aura around him slowly fading away. ' _That stone is definitely from Murasakibara-kun._ ' The light blue haired boy gritted his teeth.

Kagami slowly widened her eyes, watching as Himuro took a stand beside the towering purple haired Knight. “Tatsuya...” She whispered. The red head watched the other female with slight anguish at the sight before her. The raven haired Warrior was surrounded in a dark aura, and she raised a hand towards the direction of their group.

The air around them felt as if it was stirring. Temperatures were quickly dropping, and the Etoile Team visibly saw their breaths in front of them. There were loud sounds of cracking, as ice started to form on the bridge, crawling towards the group. Kagami quickly scrambled up to her feet, and was blaring in her white aura. Her teammates looked up at the female Knight, feeling the heat brush against them. She raised her hand towards the Déntro Team, with eyes narrowed. “Scorching Rain!”

“Hail Storm!”

The two attacks hit mid way. A shock wave emitted from the collision of the strong spells, passing threw the others, and caused them to be swept off their feet once again. Kiyoshi pushed himself up to his hands and knees, watching the two females struggling with their spells to out best the other. The tall Knight looked to his side, and caught eyes with Etoile's Assassin.

Kagami gritted her teeth, pushing her fiery spell . She was glaring straight into the dull visible eyes of Himuro. Then a pale hand reached over, and was placed on top of the girl's hand. The red head widened her eyes in surprise, and looked over to see Kuroko standing beside her, with his other hand on her other shoulder. “Kagami-kun.”

A small smile crawled its way on to the female Knight's lips, seeing the intensity in the eyes of her partner beside her. Kagami turned to look back at her once claimed older 'brother'. ' _Sorry, Tatsuya._ ' Then white and black auras blared and were melding together. “Shadow Flare!” Etoile's Duo shouted simultaneously.

An explosion followed, and a thick cloud of smoke flooded the whole area. Tsuchida watched with worry. “Kuroko! Kagami!” He called out, with the pair hidden in the smoke.

“Sempai!” Tsuchida looked over at the cry from Furihata. There was Kiyoshi, struggling on lifting the blockade away.

“Sempai!” Out from the smoke came Kagami and Kuroko. The red haired girl quickly came up to the other Knight to assist. Before the red head could reach over, Kiyoshi nearly roared as he tossed the huge boulder over all their heads into the thick cloud of smoke. The underclassmen stared with awe at their strong upperclassman.

“Kagami!” The tallest male called out with urgency. The girl nodded, her eyes narrowed. She lunged towards the left door, and opened it. The others quickly ran through.

Etoile's Team made it to a different scene from the usual stone bridges. They were on a cobblestone floor, with high stone walls that went around in a circle. At the other end from where they exited stood the giant double doors leading to the Heart Chamber. “Let's hurry inside!” Kiyoshi motioned for the others to run ahead of him, as he covered the rear.

Merely a few feet away from the giant doors, there was an explosion from behind them, and the grounds shook violently, throwing them off balance once again. Looking behind they found the tall purple haired dark Knight, with a giant hammer in his hands and fully cloaked in a dark aura. “Ground Shaking!” The big weapon was slammed down to the ground.

It was like they were being pushed up from the ground as it quaked. Big and deep fissures were formed from where Murasakibara hit his hammer, and they were running all across the ground floor, spreading out widely. The Etoile Team had to roll away from in coming fissures, and watched in horror when one hit the giant double doors. There was a deafening crack, and the solid doors shattered, decorated with spider web like lines. Their whole area was shaking, with their surroundings causing rattling and cracking sounds that was very loud to their ears. There was distance explosions above, and the Etoile Team looked up to see smoke forming, and rocks raining down at them. The hundreds of bridges of the Dungeon were breaking and falling apart.

“IDIOT!” Fukui punched the side of the purple haired giant for such action.

“Oh my Gods!!” Furihata cried out in a panic, scrambling to get up and get near his team.

The others all gathered together, with their arms above their heads from the raining debris. “This Dungeon is going to cave it!” Tsuchida shouted through the loud noises, with panic and disbelief on his expression.

Kagami and Kiyoshi both stood straight, with their arms thrown up above their heads. Their barrier spells were erected just as a big piece of stone rubble slammed down against it, with a piercing sound that made all of them cringe. The two Knights gritted their teeth, straining their whole body as they held up their protection spells.

Furihata started hyperventilating, a hand on his chest. “W-we're g-going to d-d-die, aren't w-we?”

Kuroko placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, looking directing into his friend's eyes. “Please hold your self together, Furihata-kun. Don't believe that such thing will happen.” Inwardly he was also panicking, and going through hundreds of plans on what to do on such situations they were in.

Kagami's heart squeezed, feeling and seeing the fear from her teammates. Crimson colored eyes looked up, past the big chunks of rocks that have landed in the space between their Team and the Dentro Team. Everyone looked more calm than their team, with both Murasakibara and Himuro looking directly at them, with darkness surrounding them. Then a very large debris slammed down between their line of vision, and the other team disappeared from view.

The red haired girl looked back at her team. Tsuchida and Kuroko were trying to sooth their nearly crying member, who was still hyperventilating. But Kagami saw the grief and panic in their eyes. At the other side of their teammates stood Kiyoshi, who was struggling with keeping up the barrier, that formed like a dome around them, as more and more big and heavy stone slammed on top of them and around them. She could tell that he was becoming exhausted, with sweat pouring from his head, and his form was slowly becoming sluggish. All source of light around them was slowly receding as they were now being buried.

Kuroko sharply looked up, and turned his head to see Kagami glowing in a white aura, lightening up their small space, now fully surrounded by the large debris. “Kagami-kun...?” He slowly called out.

The three turned to see a hole full of bright lights right next to them. Kagami had one hand still raised up above her head, and the other directed at the shining light. “Everyone hurry and go through! I can't hold it any longer.” She shouted. Her whole body was trembling, and more sweat fell from the sides of her face. She winced as more and more weight was added on top of the protection spell. There were tiny cracks forming on the glass like barrier around them. “Go now! Even you Kiyoshi-sempai!”

“W-what!? How about you, Kagami?” Furihata questioned in panic.

The girl growled, and kicked Furihata on his side, into the glowing light. “Wah!” The Sorcerer bumped into someone, and he wildly grabbed hold on to whatever he could, before he was blinded by light.

Gasping for air, Furihata shot up into sitting, with eyes wide open. No longer was he in the tiny darkening confined space, just moments away from being crushed to death. He was sitting on a dirt ground, in a wide open space, with the bright blue sky above and the sun overhead. There was a familiar faint sound of the sea. Looking behind stood the familiar walls of Espoir, with the base of the Etoile Clan behind the big main gates.

“We're home!” Furihata scrambled up to his feet, with jaw hanging wide in shock. Then something bubbled in his chest, as he began to laugh with near hysterics, from relief.

There were groans, and the boy shrieked, turning around to find two familiar upperclassman, who were rousing from unconsciousness. “Sempai!” Furihata cried out, and knelt down beside Tsuchida, who was closer to him. They were sitting up, rubbing their heads. The younger boy widened his eyes, and frantically looked around. “Wait... where are Kuroko and Kagami!?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((AN: I'm not dead!
> 
> I have a long list of reasons as to why I couldn't update sooner, having to deal with a lot IRL. But I was finally able to find time to finish this chapter. It was going to be longer, but I thought it would be better that what will happen next has its own chapter. So here it is. It's kind of rushed out and a big mess, but I wanted to abate most of you readers with this. Hope it's okay, though it's kind of short compared to the other chapters.
> 
> Usually I would discuss more things, but I'll just leave it all up to you to figure it out. And I'm not making any promises on when I'll update again. Have a lot of stuff going on, but I'm really determined to finish this somehow. And it's all thanks to all your readers and the ones who leave comments of encouragement. I'll do my best. Until next time!))
> 
> Aida Riko's Files
> 
> **Déntro _(GRK. Tree)_ Clan**  
>  Base of operations: Toíchos _(GRK. Wall)_ City  
>  Leader: N/A  
> Number of currently active members: 150+  
> Predominant Classes: Knights & Guards  
> Clan Rank: V  
>  **Squad Epsilon, Team II**  
>  Squad Leader: N/A  
> Team Captain: Okamura Kenichi  
> Number of active members: 5  
> Predominant Classes: Knights  
> Team Rank: IV
> 
> **_Fukui Kensuke_**  
>  Class: Knight  
> Abilities: very high defense, barriers and shields, swords, a few elemental suppression spells
> 
> **_Okamura Kenichi_**  
>  Class: Guard  
> Abilities: abnormally high defense, barriers and shields, heavy lance, earth manipulation
> 
> **_Liu Wei_**  
>  Class: Knight  
> Abilities: very high defense, barriers and shields, double hand axes, binding spells


End file.
